The Best Day
by earthprincess4
Summary: *FGB story* All Bella wants is a child but she can't have one. After a fateful call to a radio talk show she leaves her husband and meets a young hitchhiker who changes her life forever and gives her the ultimate gift. Will they ever see each other again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this story for Fandom Gives Back for cherieblossum back in August. The offer was a oneshot ranging anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 words. I asked for 3 songs from the buyer and I would choose 1 of the songs and write a story about it. This story ended up being nearly 50,000 words. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. I think she got her money's worth.**

**In the process of writing this story, I gained a wonderful friend in cherieblossum. She's amazing. She got together with Christag_banner who is another one of my good friends and has made almost all of my banners, to create an amazing banner for this story and given to me as surprise. The link for the beautiful banner is on my profile if you want to check it out. I also have the link to Christag_banners blog so you can check out the rest of her amazing banners she makes for so many other writers. She's very talented and takes requests too. Both of these women are such great friends and I'm glad I have them in my life.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copy write infringement intended.**

**The song chosen for this story is "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart. **

**Warning: Jacob is an ass in this story. If you're a Jake fan, I'm sorry. **

**BPOV**

"I'm so sorry, Bella. It doesn't look good." Doctor Stewart rubbed my shoulder, reassuringly, as she gave us the devastating news. The IVF procedure I had three weeks ago, didn't take. This was the second time and last time we had to try.

My husband Jake and I had been married since we graduated high school, seven years ago. We lived in Forks Washington all our lives and it was common knowledge if you lived in Forks, you died in Forks. Very rarely did anyone ever get out. It was a sick cycle. Jake was all there was for me in Forks.

My heart dropped, as soon as she told us the news. We had been trying to have a baby for years now. We had tried everything. We did the old fashioned method, thinking at first, there was nothing wrong and everything would work out fine. But after trying for three years and still nothing, I finally talked Jake into seeing a specialist in Seattle. Every time we did though, I heard about how much it cost and how much of an inconvenience it was for him.

He always told me he wanted a baby, but sometimes I really questioned if he did. I thought if I could give him a child, he would love me more. I would love him more. But every time we were told we weren't pregnant, it just drove a wedge even further between us.

"Well, are you happy now?" Jake asked, as we walked out to the car. "You aren't capable of having a kid. I suggest you give up on this silly little dream of being a mom, and focus on being a better wife."

The tears, from hearing his words, stung my eyes. I knew I had to hold them back. He'd be mad if he knew how much this upset me.

"What if we look into adoption?" I asked, hopeful.

"You know we can't adopt. I've already spent all my money on this ridiculous specialist. I can't afford to keep the shop running and pay for a child for you," he argued, rudely.

"It wouldn't be for me. It would be for both of us," I countered.

"I don't plan to raise another man's child," he argued, staring over at me in the passenger seat. "This is why we opted not to do the sperm donor."

"But Jake, there are so many kids…"

"Bella," he shouted. "That's enough. I let you try. You failed. Now drop it. It's over."

My shoulders fell and I sighed heavily. I dropped it, as he ordered, and stared out the window.

Jake was one of those guys who wanted to be in control of everything. When I was a teenager, I thought I liked it. I wanted someone to care about what I did and what I didn't do. But now, it was overbearing. Once we were married, he told me what I could and couldn't do. He made me quit my part time job I had at the library since I was sixteen. He cut me off from pretty much all my friends and family. He said I was his wife now, and I needed to do things with him, not with other people.

He wasn't ever physical or downright mean to me in any way. He just wanted me to have this perfect little homemaker image.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I guess every little girl dreamed of being a teacher at some point. After high school, I planned to go to community college in hopes of doing something with my life. However, Jake asked me to marry him on graduation night. I knew I couldn't say no. So, in the summer after graduation, we got married. We went to the court house, for the mere purpose of getting it over with and because Jake didn't like crowds. I didn't even have a wedding dress. I wore a pair of jeans and a band t-shirt.

I spent most days trying to make excuses why he was so controlling all the time and mad at me about everything. I didn't have much else to do, while I sat at home all day.

The problem was, I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life like this. I didn't want to be alone anymore. Honestly, living with Jake, made me feel alone. We were totally different people, who didn't click anymore. I wasn't sure if we ever did. He was just the only person I had. He was my security, and as a teenager, I wasn't willing to give it up. I needed to feel desired and wanted. I needed to feel like I had a future. There wasn't a day that went by, I didn't daydream about what my life would have been like, if I had turned his proposal down.

"I've got to get to work," he announced, once we were safely back in our hometown. "You can walk home from the shop, can't you?" I nodded my head. He pulled into the mechanic shop he owned, greeting his employee's with high fives and loud gestures. I got out of the car, ignoring all of them and walked down the sidewalk for home.

I walked slowly, getting lost in my thoughts. I stopped at the park a few blocks from our house and sat down on one of the benches. I looked out at all the kids playing and the mom's watching over them closely. I would never have any of this. No matter how much I wished for it, I'd never get my wish granted.

When the rain started coming down, the mom's gathered up their children and took off for their cars or nearby homes to get out of the rain.

I sat there and stared up at the sky, letting the water hit my face and drown out my tears.

Eventually, I walked the rest of the way home, only to find Jake's car sitting in the driveway. I opened the door and walked in, knowing he was going to be upset.

"Where have you been?" he shouted.

"I stopped at the park and got caught in the storm," I explained.

"You were supposed to come straight home. You haven't even started dinner."

"I'm sorry. I'll get on it as soon as I get out of these wet clothes." I walked back to the bedroom and began removing my wet clothes. Jake followed me back into the room and leaned against the doorway.

"Bella, I know you're upset about the baby, but there isn't anything we can do. It just wasn't meant to be for us. We'll be happy with each other. Think about all the stuff we'll be able to do without a child holding us back. We can go on trips and save money for our retirement," he theorized. "Everything will be fine." He walked over to me and kissed my cheek, bringing me into a tight embrace. I didn't hug him back, or attempt to show any love towards him. I didn't love him. I wasn't sure I ever did.

I wiggled free from his arms and went to the kitchen to cook his dinner. He huffed when I left the room, but didn't say anything more, before he went to the bathroom to shower.

I pulled out the chicken I had marinating in the fridge and placed it in a baking dish. I put on a steam pot with baby red potatoes and began putting a salad together.

Shortly after Jake came out of the bedroom, I had dinner on the table. We sat down and dished up our plates silently. It was like this every night. We very rarely ever talked anymore. We never had anything _to _talk about.

I took small bites of my food, not very interested in eating anything at the moment.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked, sternly. His voice startled me, making me jump slightly.

"I'm just not very hungry. It's been a long day and I'm tired."

"Is this how it's always going to be?" he asked, sounding angry. He dropped his fork on his plate and leaned back in his chair. "I'm not going to have you moping around the house because you didn't get your way. I gave in to what you wanted and did all the fucking tests and spent _my _money, so you could have a kid. It's not my fault you can't get pregnant. I don't want you taking this out on me."

"I know it's not your fault," I cried. "Am I not allowed to be a little upset? It's all I've ever wanted and it's never going to happen."

"Whatever," he breathed, throwing his napkin on the table. "Let me know when you're done acting like a spoiled brat." He walked towards the door and slipped on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To work," he answered. "Since I spent all day in the city, I'm behind." He walked out the door, slamming it behind him. I jumped at the sound of the door slamming. I watched out the window as he pulled out of the driveway. I walked back to the kitchen and stared at the uneaten food on the table for a few seconds, before putting it away in storage containers in the fridge.

I walked to the bathroom and took a long hot bubble bath, hoping it would ease some of my tension. I laid in the hot water, sipping on a glass of wine, while I listened to a radio talk show. It was Doctor Rose on tonight, answering caller's questions or giving them advice. I listened for quite a while, at the questions or the advice Doctor Rose would give them. For some strange reason, it made me feel better to know other people had just as many problems as I did. Some were even worse.

Once my water got cold, I stepped out of the tub and wrapped my robe around me. I grabbed my glass of wine and the small radio I had and walked into the living room. I sat down on the couch, looking out the window at our empty driveway. I wasn't sure if Jake planned to come home at all tonight.

Spontaneously, I grabbed the phone and called up the number to Doctor Rose. I was actually surprised I got through so easily. I had to answer a few questions, before I was connected to Doctor Rose. I was almost tempted to hang up, when I heard her voice on the other line.

"This is Doctor Rose, how can I help you tonight?" She asked.

"Well," I began, hesitantly. "I'm twenty-five and I've been married for seven years. I desperately want to have a child, but nothing is working. We've tried everything to make it happen. My husband acts like it's my fault we can't have a baby. But at the same time he acts like he doesn't want a baby. Today, we found out our last IVF attempt didn't take and unless we can come up with another ten thousand dollars, it's never going to happen."

"I imagine you must be devastated," she sympathized.

"I am," I cried. I didn't want to cry on the phone, so I tried to hold it back, but it only made my voice crack. "I don't know what to do anymore. My marriage is falling apart. I have nowhere to go. I have nothing. My husband acts like I shouldn't be upset about this and I should just get over it. He got mad at me tonight, because I was moping and he told me I was acting like a spoiled brat."

"Men," she chastised. "They have no clue what it's like being a woman. Honey, if he's really treating you this badly, you need to leave the bastard."

"I can't. I don't have anywhere to go. I don't have friends or family to help me out. I don't have any money."

"It sounds like you've considered leaving," she wondered.

I sighed. "I don't know. It's crossed my mind a few times. I just don't know how to do it."

"You pack a bag. You get in a car. You drive away and never look back," she suggested.

"What if he comes after me?" I asked. "What if he finds me and makes me come back. He'd be furious."

I heard a few clicks from the other end. I thought we got cut off. I couldn't hear her talking anymore and just as I was about to hang up, she spoke again. "I took you off the air," she announced. "Honey, are you in some sort of danger? Do you need some help to get free?"

"No, no it's nothing like that. He doesn't hurt me. I think we're both just really upset about not being able to have a baby and we're taking it out on each other," I excused.

"I'm giving you the abuse hotline number anyway and I highly suggest you call it," she offered.

"Really, I don't need it. I'll be fine. Thank you for taking my call." I hung up the phone before she could say anything more.

I listened to the show come back on the radio after the commercial break. "This is Doctor Rose in Seattle, taking your calls. And before I take the next caller, I'd just like to say to the last caller we had or anyone else in a similar situation, the best thing you can do is get out. I know it's a very scary thing to think about leaving and going out into the unknown all alone with nothing. But there are people out there who are willing to help you. Please take a stand for your own lives and make the call."

I flipped off the radio and went to bed. I knew she was probably right. But how could I?

I rolled over in the bed and cried until I heard Jake's car pull into the driveway. I quickly wiped my tears away and held in my sobs. He walked in the bedroom as quietly as possible. He sat at the edge of the bed, pulled off his pants and crawled into bed next to me. He rolled over and whispered in my ear he was sorry. I closed my eyes, holding in my anger. This is what he did every time.

"I'm just as upset as you are, Bella. I want a baby, too. But just because the IVF stuff didn't work, doesn't mean we can't keep trying the old fashioned way," he suggested, wrapping an arm around my waist to roll me over. I fought against his advances and stayed firmly on my side.

"I'm not in the mood," I firmly refused.

He grumbled, rolling over on his back. "Fine, have it your way. Maybe I need to find someone on the side, since you don't ever seem to be in the mood anymore," he threatened. The tears sprang from my eyes once again. I held the sobs and sniffling in as best I could, but I was sure he could hear me. Eventually he got up and walked out to the living room to sleep on the couch. I couldn't say I was upset about it in any way.

The next morning, I stayed in bed even after he got up for work. He came in on numerous occasions, noticing I wasn't getting up and hadn't moved much throughout the night. He made comments about me being lazy and if I didn't stop the moping he was going to have to do something about it. I just wished he had a little compassion for what I was going through and let me have a few days to adjust. But I guess it would be too much to ask of him.

I waited until he was gone, before I got out of bed. I was finally going to do it. I was going to leave. Even if in the end I came back, I wanted to prove a point. Or maybe I just needed a couple days to myself.

I spent all morning making up casseroles Jake could stick in the oven for dinner, and packing up his lunches for the rest of the week. I knew he could probably handle it himself, but I still felt like I needed to take care of him. It was going to be a huge inconvenience on him if I was gone.

I packed a bag and wrote a note to Jake. I told him I needed a couple days to myself to get over this and I'd be in touch. I didn't want to go into much detail about what I was really planning, since I honestly didn't know, exactly what I was planning.

I hopped in the car around two in the afternoon, and headed out of town. Once I was out, I'd decide what to do next. I prayed all the way out of town, he didn't happen to see me leaving. I avoided the area of his shop all together, even though it would have been a quicker route to go by it. But I couldn't chance him trying to stop me. I just needed to get away for a while, or maybe even permanently.

I drove south, knowing it would be the easiest and fastest way to get out. I stopped in the next town and filled up my tank with the little money I did have. I had no idea where I was going, or where I'd end up. All I knew was I needed to keep driving.

Just as it started to get dark, the rain began coming down. "Great," I said to myself. I hated driving in the rain. It always made everything so hard to see. I considered pulling over for a while, but I knew I had to keep going. I turned on the radio, trying to distract myself from the rain by listening to music.

I tried to sing along to the songs to calm my nerves, but it really didn't work very well. A semi truck passed me on the freeway, making a huge wall of water hit the side of my car. I slowed down, trying to make out the road in front of me. As soon as the truck went by, I realized I was on the edge of the road and right in front of my headlights was a person standing with an outstretched hand. I screamed, and swerved to miss hitting him. He jumped out of the way, just in time. I pulled alongside the road, letting my heart race. The adrenaline rushing through me, made me sick to my stomach. I almost ran someone over. I could have killed whoever he was.

I jumped once again, when I heard him tap on my window. I rolled down the window a crack, looking up at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I took a deep breath and opened the door to step out into the rain. He was tall, slender. He had a strong chin with well defined features. He didn't look more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Most importantly, he was drenched, from head to toe. The rain was dripping from his dark hair.

"I should be the one asking if you're alright. I almost hit you," I gasped.

"I jumped out of the way," he shrugged, acting like it was no big deal.

I noticed he was shivering from the cold. It was almost November and getting colder every day.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I questioned. "I feel horrible. I couldn't see anything when the truck past me and splashed water on my windshield."

"You don't need to explain. I'm fine, really."

"Well, what are you doing on the side of the road, in the rain?" I asked.

"I'm just trying to find a ride," he answered.

"You're hitchhiking?" I asked, giving him a shocked look. Why was a kid his age, hitchhiking at night? "Where are you going? Where are your parents?"

He laughed. "Do you always ask such personal questions from people you almost kill?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. He was obviously avoiding the question.

"Well, the least I can do for almost killing you is to give you a ride. If you tell me where you're going first," I demanded.

"I'm not really going anywhere. I'm just leaving," he revealed. I instantly felt a connection to him. I was doing the same thing he was. Maybe if he was running from something bad, I could help him work it out. He was someone's child and needed to have someone look out for him. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I left him on the side of the road and later found out something horrible happened to him.

"Hop in," I commanded. "I'll drive you to wherever you're going."

"You really don't have to. I'm not planning to sue you for almost running me over or anything. It was only an accident."

"No, I insist. I'd feel horrible if I left you out here in the cold."

"You aren't worried I might be a highway killer?" he asked, with a smirk.

"Are you?" I asked.

"No," he laughed.

"Then, what do I have to be worried about?" I countered. "Besides, if you were, I don't think I'd care. Now get in. I'm getting soaked."

I opened my door and slipped back into my seat. I brushed my hair back, shaking off some of the water, still dripping from my hair. The boy slowly walked around to the other side of the car. He threw his bag in the back seat and climbed into the passenger seat next to me.

I turned up the heat in the car and slowly pulled out into traffic. I drove extra careful now, trying to focus on the road and not make any more mistakes or attempt to kill anyone else.

"So, where are you headed?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I turned my head towards him briefly. "I'm not really sure," I answered.

"What are you running from?" he asked.

"Who said I'm running?" I wondered.

"It's just an observation," he answered.

"I could ask you the same thing," I countered. He chuckled, but didn't answer or say much more on the subject.

"Do I at least get to know what your name is?" he asked.

"Bella," I answered. "And yours?"

He hesitated a second before answering. "Edward."

"So, where do you live?" I wondered.

"I'm actually living in Seattle right now. But my hometown is a very small town in the northern corner of Washington."

I laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Is it possibly Forks?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm from Forks too. I've lived there my whole life."

"Really?" he chuckled. "Small world, I guess."

"Edward," I said out loud, remembering the name. "Are you Edward Cullen?" I turned my head to look at him, but he didn't answer. "I read all about you in the paper last June. You were going off to college in hopes to become a doctor like your dad, Doctor Cullen. He said some really sweet things about you in the article. I could tell how proud he was of you."

"Yeah," he agreed, mockingly. He seemed upset I brought it up.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No. I just don't know how proud of me he is anymore."

"Why wouldn't he be proud of you?" I wondered.

"I left school," he admitted. "I'm not cut out for it. I thought it would be simple, like high school was, but it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"I'm sorry." I kept my mouth shut after that. I didn't want to upset him anymore. I probably shouldn't be talking to him so much anyway. His life was none of my business.

We were both silent for a long time.

"So, are you married? Do you have any kids?" He asked, breaking the silence again.

I hesitated telling him anything personal. I didn't truly know him. I had no obligation to tell him anything about myself.

"No," I answered. I could feel his eyes watching me curiously. I dropped my left hand into my lap, to hide my ring. It was dark anyway, but I didn't want it catching the light and proving I lied.

We remained in an awkward silence for a long time. I didn't want to tell him any more about myself. Considering he was from Forks, I didn't want word to get back to Jake somehow. What if he said something to his dad or someone else from the community? I couldn't take the chance.

As soon as we crossed the border into Oregon, I drove around, trying to find a pawn shop. I needed money if I planned to go any further.

I finally spotted one and noticed a small diner across the street. I pulled into the diner and turned off the car. "Are you hungry?" I asked. "I'm starving and I could use some coffee." He smiled and nodded his head.

We both got out of the car and walked towards the entrance.

"Why don't you go in and find us a booth? I suggested. "I need to go take care of something first. I'll be right back." He walked through the doors and I watched as he took a seat in one of the booths. I ran out into the rain and across the street to the pawn shop.

The place was dark and a little dirty.

"How can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked. I walked over to the counter and smiled at him.

I slipped the wedding band and engagement ring off my finger and placed them on the counter. "How much can I get for these?"

He looked at me skeptically. I kept my eyes on the rings, waiting for him to give me a price. He slowly picked them up and inspected them. "I guess, I could give you five hundred for the set," he offered.

"Is that all?" I asked. I knew Jake had spent over two-thousand for the two of them.

"It's all I can offer."

I sighed, contemplating in my head, if I should do this or not. If Jake found out, he'd be furious. But I was desperate. "I'll take it."

He had me sign some paperwork and explained how it worked. I had sixty days to come back and get it, if I changed my mind. I assured him I wouldn't be back. He handed me the money and a copy of the agreement. I left the shop and ran back across the street to the diner. I walked to the booth and sat down across from Edward. He looked up from the menu when I sat down. In the light of the diner, I could finally see his features so much clearer. His bronze colored hair was still a bit damp from the rain. It was definitely in need of a comb. For the first time, I could see his eyes clearly. They were a bright green and sparkled like no other eyes ever had. The black and white photo in the newspaper didn't do him justice. He was a very good looking young man.

"I thought for a minute you may have ditched me," he revealed.

"I just needed to do something." He nodded his head, accepting my explanation.

"Well, I ordered coffee to get us started. I hope it's okay?" he questioned.

"No, that's great. I need coffee. Thank you," I assured. He smiled.

I grabbed a menu off the table, looking it over for something to eat. The waitress walked over and put two cups of coffee on the table, with a small container of creamer.

"Have you two decided what you want?" she asked.

"I'll just stick to the coffee," Edward announced. My eyes shot up. Why wasn't he ordering anything?

"Can we have a few more minutes?" I asked. She smiled and walked away.

"Why aren't you ordering anything?" I asked.

"I don't have much money on me," he answered.

"Edward, it's my treat. You can't live off of coffee."

"I can't let you pay for food also," he said. "It's more than enough you gave me a ride this far."

"If you don't order for yourself, I'll order for you. We aren't leaving this place until you eat."

"You sound like my mom," he complained.

"Then, I like your mom already," I joked.

He laughed. "Fine, I'll order."

The waitress walked back over and took our order. We both ended up ordering a cheese burger and fries. I really felt like having a milk shake with my meal, so I ordered two chocolate shakes for us, too.

"Thanks," he said quietly, after the waitress left.

"You're welcome," I smiled.

"So, what was it you had to do?" He wondered.

"Nothing important," I insisted. "I just needed to get rid of something."

I poured some creamer into my coffee and added a couple packets of sugar.

We sat in silence for a little while, sipping our coffee.

"Do you see those two people over there?" he asked, gesturing towards a couple who sat a few booths away from us. I turned my head to see them better. It was a young couple, who didn't look much older than Edward. They were probably high school sweethearts.

"Yeah," I answered.

"He's about to ask her to marry him," he revealed. I turned my head again, looking them over curiously.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I read people pretty easily," he shrugged. "This was their first date, probably all the way back from middle school. He wanted to recreate that night for her, even down to the milkshake they're sharing." I laughed, looking over at them again. They were in fact sharing a milkshake, which to me looked so adorable.

A couple seconds later we heard her squeal with excitement and bounce around in her seat. Edward laughed, staring at the table in front of him. I wanted to be excited for them, but my gut wanted to tell her to not do it. To give it a few more years and see if it's still what she wants.

"Well, aren't you the quite the mind reader," I teased.

"I'm not a mind reader," he laughed. I just know what to look for."

"So, tell me something about our waitress," I challenged.

He turned his head, watching her pour a man at the counter a cup of coffee.

"She's a single mom of two or three kids. She works two jobs, so she can pay the court fees she accumulated fighting for custody to keep her kids away from an abusive husband."

I watched him carefully for a minute, taking in what he said. He looked up into my eyes, with a smirk on his face. I laughed. "You're joking," I accused.

He sat back, cocking his head to one side. "What makes you think I'm joking?" he countered.

"There's no way you could know that much about a stranger."

"Ask her," he shrugged.

"I can't ask her personal questions."

"Why?"

"It would be rude and intrusive."

"Fine, just to prove I'm right, I'll ask." I narrowed my eyes, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. "Here she comes," he added. I turned my head, just as she walked up and placed our food in front of us.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked.

"Yes, actually, I wanted to ask you a question," Edward began.

"Don't," I screeched. "I believe you, okay." He chuckled at my obvious embarrassment.

"I really would like to know if I'm right, though," he argued. "Is this place run twenty-four hours a day?" My friend here seems to think it's not and I'm sure it is."

She looked between the both of us skeptically, before answering. "Well, you are right. It's a twenty-four hour establishment."

"Told you," he mocked. I glared at him. "Thanks for answering my question." She nodded her head with a confused look on her face. As soon as she was gone, I buried my face in my hands.

"I can't believe you did that," I whined. "I thought for sure you were going to ask her."

"What would have been so wrong if I did?" he wondered.

"People don't like answering personal questions from strangers," I explained.

"How much you want to bet she would have answered anyway?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not betting you anything."

He picked up his burger and took a bite of it, still grinning from my reaction to what he did. I sighed and picked up a French fry. I dipped it in the chocolate milk shake, before biting into it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, staring at me with questioning eyes. I looked down at my food, wondering what he was talking about.

"I'm eating my food," I answered.

"You just stuck your French fry in your shake," he observed.

"Yeah, so?" I shrugged.

He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what I did. "That's really disgusting."

"It is not. It's good, you should try it."

"No, thanks," he declined, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a baby." I grabbed a French fry off my plate and dipped it in my shake, and held it up to his mouth. He sighed, staring at the dreaded French fry in front of him. "It's not going to kill you," I added.

He quickly leaned forward and ate the French fry from my fingers. I could see him bracing himself for something awful.

"It's actually not bad," he revealed.

I smiled. "See, I told you." I picked up another fry and dipped it in my shake, before putting it in my mouth.

"Well, just because I said it wasn't bad, doesn't mean I plan to eat my fries like that." He reached for the bottle of ketchup and smothered his fries in it. I looked at them with a disgusted look on my face.

"Now, _that's _disgusting," I pointed out.

He laughed. "What's wrong with ketchup?"

"Nothing, but you use far too much."

"Says who?" He picked one up and held it up to my mouth. "I wasn't aware there was a law about how much ketchup you can use on a French fry." I shook my head at the fry in front of me. "I tried yours you need to try mine," he urged.

I took a deep breath and took the fry into my mouth. It didn't even look like a French fry anymore with the amount of ketchup on it. I chewed it up, forcefully, while Edward chuckled at my every expression.

"See, it's not bad, is it?" he asked.

"I don't mind ketchup. I would just like to taste the fry and not only the ketchup," I countered.

He picked up one of his fries and popped it in his mouth. "I can taste the fry just fine," he smirked. I rolled my eyes and went back to dipping my fries in my milk shake.

"What about him?" I asked, gesturing towards to guy sitting at the bar. "What can you tell me about his life?"

He turned his head and stared at the back of the man's head. "He's a drifter. He probably went pan handling for money all day and there was someone who was extra generous today, so he came to get a hot meal. I think he had a traumatic experience at one time and it made him go a little crazy. He pretty much gave up on life."

"You know, it's funny because I want to believe you, but I have no way of ever finding out if you're correct or not," I confessed.

"You just have to decide if you want to trust me. I'm sure at some point I'll say or do something to make you believe me. Or we could always ask," he suggested with a smirk.

"No," I refused. "I'll just take your word for it."

We ate the rest of our food in silence, watching the other people in the room. What he did made me so much more aware of everyone around me. I wanted to know what they were thinking or what their life stories were. I glanced back in Edward's direction and caught him watching me intently. I downcast my eyes, and blushed a little from his gaze.

"What are you running from?" he asked. My eyes shot up to his.

"What are _you _running from?" I countered.

"I told you. I dropped out of school."

"Yes, but you've also told me you have a mom and dad, who from my perspective are very proud of you and seem to love you. So, why are you not going back home, to them and running south, with no money, and hitchhiking, with strangers?" I asked.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Your perspective is a little clouded."

"Are you saying, your parents, don't love you, and wouldn't be worried about their son, if they knew, he was hitchhiking?"

"Well, I don't consider you a stranger anymore," he reasoned. I rolled my eyes, scoffing at his comment. He was good at avoiding questions he didn't want to answer.

After we were done eating and I paid the bill, we walked back out to the car. He lingered on the sidewalk. I stopped at the door and stared back at him with questioning eyes.

"Are you coming?" I asked.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to ride with you anymore. I thought maybe this was the end of the road for me."

"Why would you think that?" I wondered.

"I just don't want to assume you'll continue to let me ride with you. I think your debt for almost running me over is fulfilled. I can find a different ride if I need to," he suggested.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Edward, do you want a ride or not?" I frustratingly asked. He smiled this crooked smile and nodded his head, timidly. "Then get in."

I climbed into the driver seat and started up the car. He walked around to the other side and climbed in. I headed back out on the road. Thankfully, by now the rain had stopped, making the roads much easier to see.

I turned on the radio and flipped it to the Doctor Rose show. At the time I turned it on she was talking with someone, who was having trouble with their fourteen year old daughter sneaking out of the house.

I listened intently to the conversation, Doctor Rose, had with the woman on the phone. I felt so bad for the parents. I wanted to know what Doctor Rose would suggest.

Edward suddenly began laughing uncontrollably. I glanced in his direction, confused by his sudden outburst.

"What's so funny?" I questioned.

"Don't tell me you actually listen to this?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I do. I've even called in before," I revealed.

"What did you call in for? What advice did you ask for?" he asked in a mocking tone.

I didn't want to tell him what it was about. I had to change the subject.

"What's wrong with calling into a radio talk show to talk to a doctor? It's easier than paying thousands of dollars to see a doctor."

"That is true, if you were actually talking to a real doctor," he argued.

"What do you mean? She's not a real doctor?" He nodded his head. "How would you know?" I asked.

"Because Doctor Rose, is my sister and she's only twenty-three."

"You're kidding?" I asked, in shock. He shook his head with a smile.

"She did a summer internship at the radio station when she was nineteen and someone thought she had an alluring voice. So, they tried it out and put her on the radio. Turns out they were right and Rose became a hit."

"Wow! I can't believe she isn't a real doctor. She always gives such great advice to everyone."

"Well, there's a whole team of people in the studio who basically feed her what to say. She doesn't ever come up with much on her own," he explained.

I sat in amazement for a few minutes, taking all this in.

"So, she's really only twenty-three?" I wondered.

"Yep. So, unless she's some sort of genius and graduated from college and medical school in a matter of five years, there's no possible way she's a real doctor of any kind," he added.

"I can't believe I've been listening to her all this time, thinking she was real. She's younger than me and I was listening to her advice for people."

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty-five," I answered.

"Hmm, you don't look twenty-five."

"How old do I look?" I asked, a little irritated by his reply. Did I look older?

"I would have guessed maybe twenty or twenty-one." I smiled at his answer. At least he didn't think I looked older.

We were both rather quiet, while we listened to Doctor Rose during the drive. Knowing she wasn't a real doctor, did make it harder to listen to her advice. But it was still entertaining to hear other's stories and I felt like it would be rude if I turned the channel when it was his sister.

I stuck to I-5, knowing if I stayed on the freeway, I probably wouldn't get lost. We stopped in Albany to get gas and some more coffee. I figured this would be a good time to call Jake and let him know I was okay. Edward went into the convenient store to get the coffee, so I went over to the pay phone.

I dialed the number and even though it was already pretty late, I needed to make sure he was there and not coming after me in any way.

"Hello," he answered, with panic in his voice.

"Hi Jake," I breathed. I closed my eyes, knowing this conversation wasn't going to be easy.

He sighed in relief. "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm nowhere. I'm just driving."

"Where are you going, to your mothers?" he wondered.

"I don't know. All I know, is I need to get away for a while."

"Well, you've gotten away. Now it's time to come home. Do you have any idea how this is going to look if people find out?"

I thought maybe he'd say something about how worried he was about me or maybe how much he misses me and wants me to come home. But it's not what he said.

"I don't think I'm planning to come back," I revealed.

"Like hell you are," he shouted. "You're my wife and you need to do as I say."

"No, Jake. I'm not coming back. I don't love you. I don't know if I ever did. I want my life back."

"Is this about the fucking baby? God Bella, get over it. Why are you punishing me, because you can't get pregnant? I've given you everything you've wanted. I deserve a little respect in return."

"Why should I respect you when you don't respect me?" I shouted back. "You treat me like you own me and can tell me how to live my life. I don't want to live like that anymore. I'm sorry, but it's over."

"And what do you plan to do? You have no money. You have _my _car, which I should add I can very easily report it stolen and have you thrown in jail for stealing it," he threatened. "You'll have to come home eventually. And when you do, you'll pay for this little stunt."

"What are you going to do, Jake? Hit me? I'm sure you've wanted to for years. You sure as hell put me through enough with the intimidation and threats you use. You might as well start hitting me too."

"How dare you say I'd hit you. I've never laid a hand on you and you know it," he growled.

"It doesn't mean you won't," I countered. "I'm sorry, but it's over. I want a divorce." I finally said the words. I was surprised how liberating it felt to get them out and actually mean it."

"Whatever, bitch. You won't get very far. You'll come crawling home and expect me to take your sorry ass back."

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Jake. I intend to do everything in my power to prove it to you, too. By the way, I sold my wedding band and engagement ring for money. So, I have plenty to get by with." I hung up the phone, still shaking from the conversation. I knew the last words I said were going to infuriate him, but I didn't care. I wanted him to know I was serious.

I took a couple cleansing breaths, trying to relax my nerves. I combed my fingers through my hair and held my head up high. I did it. There was no going back now.

I walked over to the car, where Edward was leaning against the side, watching me closely.

"Are you okay?" he asked, with true concern in his voice.

I forced a smile. "I'm fine." I walked around to the other side of the car and paid the attendant for the gas.

We headed out on the road once again, drinking our coffee in silence. Jake's words kept playing over and over in my head. If he reported the car as stolen, I could get caught and be forced to go back. I needed to come up with a plan. All I knew is after this latest conversation with him, there was no way I was ever going back. I'd rather die.

"Are you getting tired?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

"A little," I yawned at the thought of being tired. Edward chuckled.

"You know, I could drive for a while," he suggested. "Then you could get some rest."

"Are you not tired?" I asked.

"I am, but I could drive for a couple hours to help you out."

I looked at the clock on the dashboard and saw it was after midnight already. "Why don't I just stop somewhere for the night, so we can both get some sleep," I suggested. He nodded his head in agreement.

We came across a fairly large city named Grants Pass and I found a small motel not far off the interstate. I pulled in to the parking lot and looked over at Edward. All of a sudden it got very awkward in the car. I knew he didn't have any money to pay for his own room. Would he be willing to share a room? Did I want to share a room with him? He was technically still a stranger. I didn't know much about him or what he was capable of.

"Would you mind if I slept in the car?" he asked. "Or, I don't know, I can find somewhere else if you aren't comfortable with me in your car by myself."

"Don't be ridiculous. We can just share a room. I don't mind." Honestly, I was a little nervous about it, but I couldn't let him sleep out in the car in the cold.

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying here."

"It's fine." I got out of the car and grabbed my purse. I walked through the front door of the motel and asked for a room. The lady at the desk took my money and made the reservation for the night. She handed me the key and told me what room we had.

I walked back out to the car and grabbed my bag. Edward followed behind, hesitantly. Once we were inside, I sat down on the bed and removed my shoes. Edward stood next to the door, nervously.

"I'm going to change my clothes," I announced. I got the impression he needed a few minutes to get used to being here with me. I hoped he wasn't worried, I was going to kill him or something. I knew this scene had happened in horror movies before, but it was usually the guy killing the girl, not the other way around. And for whatever reason, I seemed to trust him. Maybe I was a little naïve in doing so, but I couldn't help the connection I felt with him.

I changed into a pair of sweats and a tank-top. I brushed my hair, which had managed to become a tangled mess of knots throughout the day. I brushed my teeth and made sure all my stuff was put away in my bag, before I went back out into the room.

Edward was sitting on the small chair in the corner, staring at the bed. For the first time, since walking into the room, I noticed there was only one bed. I suddenly felt very clammy. What was I going to do now?

"I can sleep on the floor," Edward assured. "Or in the car, like I suggested before."

"The floor is fine." He nodded his head in agreement.

"Would you mind if I took a quick shower?" he asked.

"Not at all," I said.

He grabbed his backpack off the floor and walked over to the bathroom. Once I heard the water running, I took the comforter and one of the pillows, off the bed and laid it out on the floor for him. I crawled into bed and curled up on my side, trying to sleep. Although, with the amount of coffee I'd been drinking today, I couldn't seem to sleep.

When Edward walked into the darkened room, with only the light from the bathroom silhouetting him, I noticed he was only wearing a pair of sweat pants. His chest was bare and well defined. I couldn't help but stare and be a little turned on by him. I scolded myself internally for even looking at him. What was I thinking? He's only an eighteen year old kid. I'm a grown woman, who should not be looking at him in such a way. I turned my head and stared up at the ceiling, while he walked across the dark room and crawled into the bed I had made him on the floor.

We both lay there, without saying a word for a long time. The only sound was our breathing and the hum of the cars passing by on the freeway. I thought for a while, maybe he'd fallen asleep.

"Are you awake?" he whispered.

"Yeah," I answered, with a small giggle.

"Is it as hard for you to sleep, as it is for me?" he wondered.

"I think it's the coffee," I theorized.

He started laughing. "The coffee we picked up in Albany was pretty strong." I laughed with him.

"It was awful," I added. "I had to put so much sugar and creamer in it, just to make it drinkable."

"I did the same thing."

We both laughed for a few minutes before going back into an awkward silence.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you're running from?" I asked, not expecting much of an answer. However,I needed to say something to break the tension and I was truly curious. The Cullen's always seemed like the perfect family. What could have happened to make him want to run?

"I went back home after I had a really bad day at school," he began. I held my breath as he spoke. I didn't think he'd say anything. "I explained to my parent's how I wasn't cut out for college and I quit. I told them I wanted to come home. My dad got mad and insisted I go back. When I refused, he said a lot of things I'm sure he didn't mean, but he said them regardless. I got even more upset and said some things I regret. My mom tried to break it up, but my dad and I just kept yelled at each other."

"What was it you and your dad said?" I wondered.

"I told him I wanted to stay in Forks and find a job there. He was upset and told me I was worthless and how I'd end up being a thirty something low life with nothing to live for and nothing to call my own, if I stayed in Forks and got some low paying part time job. I told him I'd rather be a low life than a father who cares more about his work than his son." I gasped at his words. How could either of them say such hurtful things about each other? "He said he was giving up on me and I was free to do what I pleased. He cut me off financially and took away the keys to my car. He said if what I wanted was to get a job, then I could have my car back when I could pay for it. I got really mad and I left. I hitched a ride with someone I knew in town and made it to I-5. From there I walked, until you almost ran over me and saved me from the rain and cold."

I could hear the hurt in his voice and it broke my heart. I understood why he was running now and why he felt like he had nowhere to go.

"Can I ask you something?" I questioned. I felt like I needed to change the subject to something a little less tense.

"Sure," he agreed. I rolled over on my side and stared down at him on the floor. He looked up, locking his eyes with mine.

"When you look at me, what do you see?"

He sat up, leaning against one elbow. "I see a woman who feels like she has nothing to live for. I see someone who cares far too much about other people. Who gives too much of herself to people she cares about and lets them take advantage of her. Who feels for others more than herself and gives up on what she wants to make others happy." His words stung a little. I knew they were all true, but it hurt to hear him say it and already know so much about me from only a few hours together. "She's also the strongest and most determined person I've ever met. She's beautiful in so many ways. I can't even begin to describe everything I find attractive about her." He paused for a minute, clearing his throat. "And the jerk who hurt her, doesn't deserve her." He brushed a strand of hair off my cheek, and tucked it behind my ear. "She deserves to be treated like the queen she is."

I stared at him, with a gaping mouth and pounding heart. His fingers lingered against my cheek. He glanced back and forth between my eyes and my lips. I knew he wanted to kiss me and for some reason I wanted him too. He slowly moved closer, breathing nervously. His lips gently brushed across mine. He pulled away, taking in my reaction. I continued to stare into his eyes, with no hesitation or worry in what he was doing. I wanted this. I wanted a man to want me and desire me. It's something I'd never experienced before, at least not like this.

His lips pressed against mine softly again. I gave myself to the kiss, letting my entire body feel it. My lips moved with his so easily. My fingers wrapped around his neck, holding him close. I didn't want this kiss to end. He sat up further, brushing the hair off my shoulder and running his fingers down my arm.

Before I knew it, he was climbing on the bed and continuing to kiss me. His warm body next to mine sent chills down my spine. He hovered above me, making a trail of kisses down my chin and across my collar bone. I arched my back, attempting to get closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and sat me up in front of him. I opened my eyes, looking deep into his green eyes. Both of our breathing was heavy and erratic. I knew what I wanted and I was sure he wanted it too.

He bunched the back of my shirt in his fist, as he continued to kiss along my neck. My fingers traced along the well defined muscles of his chest and stomach. I heard his breath catch as I touched him. Slowly, I felt his hand rub across my lower back. My head fell back as I reveled at how he was making me feel. I'd never felt so sexually alive, as I did in this moment. He inched my shirt up, silently asking for permission to remove it. I raised my arms, giving him permission. He carefully slipped the shirt off of me. In the dark of the room, I could see him taking in the sight of me. It made me nervous at first.

He let out a raspy breath and smiled. His eyes met mine, before he kissed me deeply. His tongue slid into my mouth, so gently. He wrapped his arms around me bringing me closer to him. I brushed my fingers through his hair, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

He laid me back on the pillow and continued kissing and licking across my shoulder and down my arm. His hand ventured down between my breasts and down my stomach. His fingers traced a line across my stomach where the hemline to my sweatpants was.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation rushing through me, from his touch against my skin. He picked up my hand kissing the tip of each finger, before sucking my index finger into his mouth. He grabbed my other hand and did the same thing, before linking our fingers together in both hands and holding them above my head. He stared down at me, looking for any hesitation I might have. But I wanted him. I didn't care what he did. I wanted it all.

He began with my collarbone and ventured down across each of my breasts with his mouth. I squeezed his hands, and let out a pleasurable moan. I could feel him smile against my skin. He sucked one breast into his mouth, teasing the nipple with his tongue. He gently bit down, twisting it between his teeth. I cried out, tightening my grip on his hands. He worked the other breast the same way, eliciting the same reaction as the other did.

I fought against his hands holding mine. I needed them free, so I could touch him. I needed to touch him. He let go, leaning up slightly. I grabbed his face, and pulled him back to me. He chuckled at my suddenness to take charge. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders tightly, kissing his neck and chest. He breathed heavily across my shoulders, moaning in pleasure. My hands traced along his back, resting at the hem of his sweatpants.

He sat up suddenly, staring down at me lying out in front of him. He slowly let his fingers trace down my body from my lips to my belly button. He was sure to stop for a second at my breasts, pinching them between his fingers. My eyes rolled back and my mouth opened, sighing softly. He let one finger dip in the side of my sweats, pulling on them. I slightly lifted my body off the bed, so he could remove my sweats. As soon as he knew it was okay, he pulled them down further. He picked up one leg at a time, removing the sweats from me. His hands ran across my legs slowly. He kissed each of my ankles and continued his way up to my knee and into my inner thigh.

His fingers brushed across my clit, so gently. I wanted it more. I could tell he was nervous. I sat up, kissing him passionately and pulling him down on top of me. I reached down and clumsily removed his pants from him.

I never broke our kiss as I wrapped my legs around his waist, granting him easy access. He held back at first, not giving in to what we both wanted.

He broke our kiss and looked down at me. I could see the questioning in his eyes. I took a deep breath and nodded my head once, silently letting him know it was okay. I wanted him. I wanted to feel more of what he'd already given me.

He wrapped a hand around my leg and pulled it up over his hip, opening me up even more. I could feel his penis rub against me so gently. He slowly slipped inside of me, stretching me with every inch he went. I'd never been filled like this before. I screamed as he thrust all the way into me. He stopped, looking down at me with concern.

"It's okay," I whispered, kissing him deeply. He slowly began a steady pace, moving in and out of me. As he built momentum, I closed my eyes, letting every part of my body feel pleasure. He felt so good inside of me. I didn't want this to end. I moaned in ecstasy with every thrust. His hot, sweet breath blew across my face. He leaned into my neck, nipping at my skin with his teeth. "Bella," he breathed.

"I'm okay, Edward. It's okay," I whispered. I wasn't quite sure why he said my name, but I had a feeling he was worried he may be hurting me in some way with all the moaning I was doing.

Within seconds I tightened around him, letting go to everything I was holding back and came into a glorious orgasm. I never knew it could feel as wonderful as it did with him. He groaned, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his teeth as he came inside of me. He collapsed in a heap on top of me. We were both trembling from what we had just experienced.

I lowered my legs to the bed, and brushed through his hair with my fingers with one hand, while the other drew circles on his back.

He sat up bracing himself with his hands on the bed and took in the sight of me below him. He leaned down kissing my lips tenderly, before pulling out of me and lying on the bed next to me.

I couldn't keep the goofy grin off my face. What I had just experienced with him was like nothing I ever imagined was possible. We both stared up at the ceiling, coming down from the high we both had. I didn't exactly know what to say to him, or if I should say anything. I rolled over on my side and closed my eyes. The smile was still on my face.

Seconds later, I felt him roll over on the bed and spoon around me. My smile got bigger as he wrapped his arm around my stomach and began kissing my shoulder. I leaned back into him, placing my hand around his. I turned my head back towards him and smiled up at him. He grinned down at me and kissed me passionately. His kisses were so tender and warm. I really enjoyed kissing him.

We both fell asleep, wrapped around each other. I had never felt more comfortable in someone's arms, as I did when I was in his.

A few hours later, I was awoken by a stream of light through the window, from a passing car. I took a deep breath in, remembering everything Edward and I experienced. I rolled over noticing he had rolled onto his back sometime during the night. I took a second to look at him. I brushed a small curl of hair off of his forehead. He was so beautiful. He still had an innocence about him.

My stomach suddenly tightened as I watched him sleep. What had I done? He was only a kid and I was a twenty five year old woman. I was technically still a married woman. How could I do what I did to him? He deserved so much more in life than an older woman with a lot of baggage. He deserved to have a life. What was going on between us anyway? I hadn't even known him for an entire day yet. What was I thinking having sex with him? Was this some sort of rebellion against Jake? I had to get out of here.

I crawled out of the bed as quietly as I could and tiptoed to the bathroom to change my clothes. I threw on the first thing I could find and pulled my hair up in a ponytail. I slipped out of the bathroom and picked up my clothes off the floor, putting them back in my bag.

Edward mumbled my name in his sleep and rolled over on his side. I thought for sure he heard me and I was caught. But after a few seconds I could hear the rhythmic sounds of his breathing, indicating he was still sleeping. I tiptoed across the floor and sat down in the chair next to the dresser. I pulled out a piece of the hotel stationary and a pen, out of the drawer. I had to leave him some sort of an explanation. I couldn't just leave him here.

_Dear Edward, _

_First off, I want to apologize for leaving this way, but I think it's for the best. I had an amazing time getting to know you and spending the night with you. You made me feel alive again, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time. You gave me the courage to go on. You gave me the strength to fight. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being who you are. I'll never regret offering you a ride. It was probably one of the smartest things I've ever done. _

_But unfortunately, I can't risk the possibility something horrible happening to you because of what we did. It's for the best that I left. _

_As for you, I really think you need to go back to school. I don't want to tell you what to do or make you feel like I'm trying to be your parent, but I always dreamed of going to school and I didn't get the chance. I always wanted to get out of Forks, but I got stuck there. I'm finally taking a chance and getting out. I wish you would do the same. I want you to better yourself and become something great, because I know you have the potential to do amazing things in life. I don't want you to end up the way I did. _

_You are a very strong and intelligent person and I know you can make it through college. I have faith in your abilities. Maybe you aren't cut out to be a doctor. Maybe you will end up doing something even better. But I know you have more to offer this world. Just please, for me, don't give up and get stuck in Forks. You deserve better. You deserve so much more from life than to give up now. _

_Whatever you decide to do, I'm leaving you a hundred dollars to help you out. I don't want you to starve or hitchhike anymore. Get a bus ticket, if you can. I wish I could leave you more, but I hope this helps. I'll never forget you. I hope you have a wonderful life. _

_Goodbye, _

_Bella _

I had a single tear stream down my face as I read over the letter one last time. Why was it so hard to say goodbye to him?

I left the letter and the hundred dollars sitting on the dresser. I grabbed my stuff, looking back at him one last time. I whispered goodbye and slipped out the door. I climbed into the car and drove away. I pulled into the first gas station I saw open and asked for directions to a greyhound bus station. The guy there was very kind and pointed me in the correct direction.

I drove across town and pulled into the parking lot. I grabbed all my stuff and walked into the building. I bought a ticket for Jacksonville Florida, where my mom lives. I knew Jake already assumed it's where I was going, but I didn't have anywhere else to go. I just hoped my mom would accept me there. She loved Jake and was overjoyed when we got married. She wouldn't be happy knowing I left him.

After I bought my ticket, I slipped the car key in an envelope and sent it out to Jake with a note telling him where the car was. I knew he'd find some way to get it back home.

I waited in the bus station for about two hours, before the bus was ready to board. I found a seat near the back and fought back the tears I felt like shedding. As much as I knew, it was for the best to leave Edward, it still hurt to do so.

As we pulled out onto the main highway, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, seeing visions of Edward's smiling face and his piercing green eyes. I don't think I'd ever be able to get his face out of my head. I never wanted to lose the image of him.

I slept most of the trip. There wasn't much else to do during the three and a half day trip. During one of our stops, I did buy a book and a few snacks, but it only took me a few hours to read the entire book. I couldn't afford to buy another one if I wanted to eat during this trip.

I attempted to call my mom on numerous occasions along the way, but I always chickened out.

Once we pulled into the station in Jacksonville, I knew I had no other choice than to finally make the call.

"Hello," my mom answered.

"Hi, mom, it's me."

"Bella," she gasped. "Where are you calling from? It came up as a local number on our caller ID."

"It's because I'm here," I admitted. "Would you be willing to drive to the greyhound bus station and pick me up?"

"Why are you here? What's wrong? How did you get here? Where's Jake?" she asked question after question without giving me a second to answer any of them.

"I can explain everything, but not over the phone. Could you come get me?" I asked again.

"Of course," she agreed. "I'll be there shortly." She hung up and I went outside to wait for her.

About ten minutes later, she pulled up in front of me and hopped out to help me with my bag. I climbed into the passenger seat and she drove off. She glanced back and forth between me and the road with questioning eyes.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on or do I need to beat it out of you?" she questioned.

I sighed, looking down at my linked hands in my lap. "I left Jake."

"You what?" she exclaimed.

"Mom, you don't understand. He's not what I want out of life. I can't live with him anymore," I explained.

"What happened?" she asked. "I thought you two were having all those treatments done to have a baby. I thought you wanted to make a family with him?"

"Nothing we tried worked. He won't do anything more to make it happen," I revealed.

"So, you left him because you couldn't get pregnant?" she asked.

"No," I whined. "It had nothing to do with a baby. It had to do with how he treated me. I don't want to live like I'm nothing anymore. I don't want to feel like all I am is his slave and he can tell me what I can or can't do. Why do you think I very rarely call you or even have friends in Forks anymore? He won't let me work. He only lets me call you on specific days and only for a short amount of time, because he doesn't want to pay for long distance calling. He won't let me talk to any of my old friends. I'm supposed to do everything he tells me to do and not complain about it. As much as I want a baby and to be a mom, I'm glad I never got pregnant by him. I don't want to be tied to him for the rest of my life. I want out and I already told him I wanted a divorce."

She sat silently for a long time, taking in everything I told her. "What is your plan then? I'm not going to let you live off of me. You're a grown woman and do not need to be living with your mother."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll find a job and get an apartment of my own as soon as possible if you just let me stay with you for a little while."

"I don't know, Bella. All of this sounds a little farfetched. Every time I've been around you and Jake, you both seem so happy and completely in love. I've never sensed any problems between the two of you. Jake always seemed so protective and caring towards you. Maybe you just need a couple days apart and then you can talk things out and everything will be fine."

I sat quietly the rest of the drive back to her house. When she pulled into her driveway, we both sat there without saying a word.

"So, can I stay for a little while, until I get a job and find a place of my own?" I asked.

"Of course you can stay. I just wish I could understand what is going on."

"I told you, mom. I left Jake and I'm getting a divorce. There isn't anything else you need to know." I opened the door and grabbed my bag from the back seat. She walked up to the door and opened it up for me. She showed me around her house and led me down the hall to the spare bedroom.

My parents divorced when I was fifteen. At the time, Jake and I had just begun dating and I didn't want to leave him. I was completely infatuated with him and thought we'd be together forever. I stayed with my dad while my mom moved to Florida. She got remarried a year later. I always suspected she was having some sort of secret affair, even before my parents were through, but I never asked. It was none of my business and personally, I didn't want to know.

Living out my teen years with my dad was hard and awkward, but I got through it. Unfortunately, he died of a heart attack about two years ago. It was probably the hardest thing I'd ever gone through. I missed him tremendously. He was the only person I was ever allowed to talk to after Jake and I were married. But once he died, I had no one left.

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for a shower. I slipped all my clothes off and got in the tub, letting the hot water spray over me. I closed my eyes imagining where Edward might be now. The thought of him brought tears to my eyes and I began crying uncontrollably. I didn't even know why I was crying so hard. I had nothing to cry about. He was just a boy I happened to cross paths with and would never see again. It didn't mean anything.

I got out of the shower and put on some fresh clothes. I walked out into the kitchen where my mom was attempting to make dinner.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"Oh no, it's fine. Why don't you go rest for a couple hours? Phil won't be home for a while. I'll come and get you when dinner is ready." I nodded my head and walked back to the spare room. I laid down on the bed and stared at the portrait of a waterfall on the wall. Something about the picture made me start crying again. I didn't know what it was about the picture, but I couldn't stop crying.

I ended up crying myself to sleep and didn't wake again until the next morning. I crawled out of bed and walked into the living room. No one was around. I went to the kitchen and saw a note on the counter.

_Bella, _

_I had some errands to run and a yoga class to go to this morning. I should be home around noon. Help yourself to anything you'd like. I left the paper on the table in case you wanted to look through the want ads. See you soon. I hope we can talk a little more today. _

_Mom _

I walked to the counter and poured myself a cup of coffee. It was cold, so I had to stick it in the microwave to heat it up. I took one drink and spit it back out. Something about it tasted wrong. Maybe it was just because it was a few hours old and not fresh, but whatever it was I couldn't drink it. I poured it down the drain and toasted an English muffin instead.

I sat down at the table and flipped through the paper for the help wanted section. There were a few promising places who were hiring, I could look into. I grabbed a pen and paper to write down the addresses and phone numbers. I figured tomorrow I'd find a way to get to these places and fill out applications. I needed to get my own place as soon as I could. My mom and I never got a long very well when we lived together, as when I was growing up. It was another reason why I chose to stay with my dad when she left. I loved my mom and I know she loved me, but we were so different at times, it was hard to live with her and not want to yell at her. It was only a matter of time until I felt that way again.

My mom came home around noon, like she predicted she would, and made me sit down with her and tell her everything. I tried to explain to her all I'd been through with Jake. Most times, she looked at me like I was lying or making it more extreme then it truly was. But in the end, she accepted my decision for leaving and didn't ask anymore of me. I never told her about Edward though. I wanted him to remain mine. I didn't want what we shared to be tainted by my judgmental mother. Even if she cheated on dad with her new husband Phil, she would still look down upon me for doing practically the same thing.

At dinner, I finally met Phil. They had been married all these years and I still had never met him. On the rare occasion mom came to visit me, he always had something else going on and couldn't make it. He was nice though. He was very soft spoken and obviously quite a bit younger than my mom was. But he seemed to truly love my mom and want to make her happy. I found out he was a minor league baseball player for many years, until he blew out his knee. Now he's an assistant coach for a local high school baseball team. He also works as a district manager, of a fairly large restaurant chain in the area.

I went to bed early, knowing the next day I'd need to look for a job. The only bad thing about sleeping is all I ever saw was Edward's smiling face.

The next morning, I got up and searched through my mom's closet to find something appropriate to wear. I wanted to look respectable since I was looking for a job.

I picked out a flower print skirt and a simple white blouse. I fixed my hair into a bun and put on a little bit of mascara and lip gloss. Once I was done, I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. I hoped today it tasted better than it did yesterday. I added some creamer and sugar to it and grabbed a muffin off the counter. I sat down at the table with my mom, who was looking over the paper. She slid the keys across the table to me. I looked down at them, with questioning eyes.

"I've got some things to do around the house today, so I won't be able to drive you around. I thought you might like to use the car to search for a job today. It would give you a chance to get familiar with the city as well," she offered.

I smiled and grabbed the keys. "Thanks Mom."

I finished up my coffee and muffin and headed out to the car. I didn't know where I was going or what I was looking for, but I was determined to make a new life here. I had to.

I drove around the city, looking for the few places I had found in the paper. I stopped at a couple places along the way in hopes of not only getting direction, but inquiring about a job, too. It seemed like no one was hiring though.

I finally did find one of the places I had found in the paper. It was a factory setting and they looked like they would hire anyone. I filled out the application and turned it into the secretary. She said they'd be in touch. I couldn't wait. I needed something as soon as possible.

Instead of going to the next place on my list, I stopped at the mall for some lunch. I figured I could look around the mall for some places hiring too. I didn't care where I worked as long as I could find something paying.

After eating, I walked around and asked every store or kiosk there. When I came across a bookstore, I walked in and searched for an employer. I looked around but only saw people looking at books. The store was actually quite busy, so I was surprised there wasn't anyone at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" an older gentleman, who walked up behind me with an arm load of books, asked.

"Uh, hi," I greeted with a smile. He sat the stack of books on the counter in front of him. "I was wondering if you might be hiring."

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at me with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Uh," I muttered, confused by the question.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I just wasn't expecting you to walk in and ask for a job."

"If you're not hiring, I can leave."

"No, no," he stopped. "What I mean is, I had this teenage girl working for me and this morning she up and quit on me. I've been frantic all day trying to keep up with everything. You walking in and asking for a job is like a dream come true. Do you have any experience working with books?"

"I worked at a library through most of my teenage years."

"When would you be able to start?" he asked.

I smiled. "Now… Tomorrow… Whenever you need me to start, I will."

"Great," he sighed in relief. "Could you start with unloading the boxes of books in the back and marking them with a price tag?" I nodded my head and he led me back to the storeroom. He showed me what to do and said at the end of the day we could take care of all the paperwork. I was so giddy with excitement.

I worked the rest of the day at marking the books and unloading the boxes. Mr. Caius, my new boss, said he needed to get ready for the holiday rush and losing one of his employees was really stressful. He had just hired her about a week ago and already she quit. He kept saying how grateful he was I walked into his store and asked for a job.

At the end of the day, I filled out the paperwork and told him I'd be back in the morning. He said he'd work out a work schedule and asked if I was opposed to working overtime during the busy season. Of course, I wasn't. I was more than happy to work as much as he needed me to.

I rushed back to my mom's house, and told my mom and Phil about my new job. I couldn't believe I already had a job and it only took about a half of a day.

I worked at the bookstore every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from three in the afternoon to closing, it was perfect. I still had my mornings open to enjoy the warm weather and I had a steady paycheck coming in.

My mom and Phil were both happy for me. I think my excitement made it even easier for them to be happy.

About a week before Thanksgiving and the dreaded Black Friday shopping day, which I volunteered to work, I got really sick. I was puking almost all day long. Eating was unappealing. All I wanted to do was sleep. I figured it was some sort of flu, but I couldn't get rid of it. I had to actually take a couple days off when it was really bad. I hated doing it since I had only been working a few weeks. I figured this would look really bad on my accountability. However, Mr. Caius was very sympathetic and told me to take all the time I needed to get better.

When I didn't think I'd ever get better, my mom insisted I see a doctor. I tried to tell her no, since I didn't have insurance, but she said she'd take care of it. So I went.

"You're pregnant!" the doctor said. I stared at him with a blank expression. I think my heart may have stopped beating. I couldn't breathe. How could this happen?

He gave me the card of an obstetrician in the area and a packet on what I should expect and what I can do to alleviate the morning sickness. I walked out of his office in a haze. My mom kept asking me what the doctor said, but I couldn't speak. I just laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. What was I going to do now? How could I have a baby when I was just starting to make a life of my own here? The thought of being pregnant made all those memories of Edward come rushing back to me. It had to be his. How could it possibly be Jake's? How do I tell my family I'm pregnant with a child, who's not my husband's?

I was so overwhelmed with all of this news. I went straight to my room and crawled under the covers to cry. If this baby was Edward's how would I tell him? Or could I even tell him? I knew I could contact his parents back in Forks. But they very well might not know where he is. He might have continued on in his journey to nowhere. Maybe I'd never find him. But even if I could, how could I tell him? I'd never expect him to be a father at eighteen. I couldn't do that to him. He deserved to have a life and make something of himself. Not be tied down to a baby he accidentally helped create on one night of stupidity. I couldn't tell him. I had to raise this baby on my own. I could do it.

The more I thought about, the happier I got. Not only was I getting my only wish in life, but I was getting something to remember Edward. As much as I tried, I couldn't get him out of my thoughts.

The next morning my mom walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm really worried about you, Bella. I wish you would tell me what the doctor said. Is it something serious? Please, just tell me what it is," she begged.

I rolled over on the bed to face her. "It's nothing serious mom. Well, at least I don't think it is. I guess it all depends on how you look at it," I admitted.

"Then, what's going on?" I sighed, internally questioning if I was ready to tell her everything. I knew I had no choice, but to eventually tell her. I just wished I didn't have to. "Jake's been calling. He's really worried about you. I told him about you being sick. He wants to fly out to see you. I told him I thought it might be a good idea."

"You did what?" I shouted. "How could you?"

"Bella, he's worried about you. He just wants to see how you're doing and try to work things out with you."

"Mom, things can't be worked out. I'm not going back. I can't now. I'm pregnant," I screamed.

"You're what?" she asked in shock. She sat there silently for a few minutes taking in the news. I was practically in tears at what she said about Jake coming. I couldn't deal with him right now. I rolled over facing the wall, holding in the tears. "This is great news, Bella. This is exactly what you and Jake wanted. Now, you can both work things out and be happy."

"I'm not ever going to be happy with him. I'm not going back to him."

"Bella, please, I know you're upset at him and you have every right to be. I don't want you ending up in some huge custody battle, though. I have a feeling Jake would not just let you have the baby and never want to see the it. You need to think about what's best for the baby."

"Is that what you did with me? Did you stay with dad just because of me?" I could hear her sigh, but she didn't answer. I already knew the answer. "How did that work out for you, Mom? How did it work out for me?" I waited a second before I continued. "Besides, I'll just tell him it's not his and then there's nothing he could do about it."

"Bella, all he'd have to do is petition for a DNA test to prove it's his. Then it would look really bad for your case if you lied to him. You can't lie to prevent a custody battle," she argued.

"I'm not lying, Mom. The baby isn't his."

"Then, whose is it?" she asked. I could tell she was upset and maybe a little disappointed, but she was trying to hold it in.

"It doesn't matter. I'm never going to see him again and he has no idea or ever will."

"Are you planning on having the baby?" she asked. "It's going to be a lot of work to be a single parent. And have you thought about diseases or anything? I'm assuming it wasn't protected sex, since you got pregnant. Did the doctor today check you out?"

"Mom," I whined. "Can you please, just leave it alone? I can take care of myself." I crawled out of bed and ran to the bathroom to puke my guts out. Not only was I scared and frustrated and extremely mad, but I was also suffering from morning sickness.

Once I finished puking, I took a quick shower and headed to work. I grabbed something to eat in the food court before I started my shift.

If Jake was coming here, I needed to get as far away as possible. I didn't want to face him. I had received my first paycheck, so I had money. I could leave for a while or hide out somewhere. I'm sure my mom would fill him in on the news. Then I wouldn't have to.

The next morning, I looked through the paper for an apartment I could rent. Only problem was I couldn't afford anything on what I was making. I thought it was a lost cause until I came across a shared rental. The ad stated: Twenty-two year old female student, looking for a roommate to share expenses of a condo; private room, private bath, shared living space. Four hundred dollars a month rent, includes all utilities.

It was almost too good to be true. I quickly called up the number and talked to the woman about the condo. She said her name was Alice and she only had one other inquiry all day about the room. I told her a little about me, leaving out the pregnancy and the impending divorce from Jake. I just told her I was new to the area and living with my mom at the moment, but I needed a place to call my own. I told her I had a steady job and didn't have much to move in. Which was one of her main concerns, because she already had the place decorated with her stuff and wasn't sure she wanted anyone bringing in even more to clutter it. I assured her it wouldn't be a problem. All I needed was my own space.

She agreed to meet with me and give me a tour of the condo, so I rode the bus over to her place. I walked up the stairs to the number she gave me, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

I didn't even have a chance to lower my hand from the door, before it flew open. There she stood this petite young girl with spiky black hair and a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, I'm…," I began.

"You must be Bella," she interrupted, excitedly. "Come on in." I stepped into her place and looked around. It was cozy and very well decorated. She had nice plush red couches with a small cherry coffee table in the middle of the room. There were beautiful paintings all over the walls. It was a really nice place. I could see myself liking it here already.

"These are lovely paintings?" I complimented.

"You think?" she asked, almost sounding like she disagreed with me. "These aren't even some of my better ones."

"You painted these?" I asked, glancing at her with wide eyes.

"Guilty," she answered, with a smile. Just as she said it, a man came walking out from the back. He startled me at first. He seemed a little reserved and almost angry. He had wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was quite tall, at least compared to Alice. The biggest thing I noticed was the scowl on his face. I tried to smile at him, but it was hard to do without a little fear inside of me.

Alice walked over to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "This is my boyfriend Jasper. He's not so happy about me getting a roommate. I keep insisting it'll be fine once I find the right person, but he's afraid I'm going to get hurt in some way." She smiled up at him, playfully.

"Well, I can assure you, if you accept me as your roommate, I would never do anything to hurt you. I'm an honest and trustworthy person. My father was the chief of police back in Forks Washington, where I grew up and he taught me morals and right from wrong," I explained.

"Wow, your dad is a police officer? Will he be visiting at all?" Alice asked. "I'd love to ask him questions about police work. It's always been a strange passion of mine."

"He died a couple years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped. "I should have kept my mouth closed."

"It's okay, really." I smiled trying to assure her it was not a problem.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" She asked, changing the subject. I nodded my head and followed her around. She showed me the kitchen and small eating area. Then we went down the hall and she showed me where my room would be. It was actually quite large and had two very nice windows, which let in lots of natural light. I looked out one of the windows and loved the view of the park across the street. There was a good size closet and a small bathroom connected to the room. It was perfect, in my opinion.

"So, like I said, you're welcome to do anything you want to your room. If you want to paint or add anything, feel free to. All I ask, is if it's going to be a big project at all, you let me know so I can prepare for it. I am a student, so sometimes I need some quiet time to study," Alice explained.

"Does this mean you're giving me the room?" I asked, turning back to her.

"Of course," she laughed. "I can already tell we're going to be the best of friends. Jasper can too. He's just being a little testy today."

"Thank you, so much," I breathed. It was such a relief to know I had somewhere to live.

"I only ask for the four-hundred dollars a month to be delivered on the first. This month, since it's almost over I'll pro-rate it if you want to move in right away. And of course the four-hundred dollar deposit. You don't have any pets do you?" she wondered.

"No, I don't," I assured.

"Good," she sighed. "I'm allergic to animal hair, so I can't have animals around. I got a knot in my stomach. I should probably let her know about the baby. I didn't think it would be possible for her to be allergic to a baby, but it might be disruptive to her school work. Or she might not like kids all together.

"Um," I began, hesitantly. I stared down at the ground, trying to find the right words. "I should probably let you know now. I just found out I'm pregnant. I hope it won't be a problem."

"Oh," she said. She paused for a moment not saying anything. This was bad. She glanced at Jasper, with a concerned look.

"Will the father be moving in with you or will he be visiting often?" she questioned.

"No," I replied. "I'm actually going through a divorce. And to be honest the baby isn't his. The father was a one night stand I had after I made the choice to leave my husband. I'm not normally like that. It was a momentary lapse in judgment. I don't know how to find him or even attempt to contact him, so I'll be having this baby alone. I hope having a baby around won't be a problem."

"Are you kidding? Your baby is going to be the most spoiled baby by his auntie Alice." I smiled at the title she gave herself already. It made me feel good to know she was already so accepting of me and the baby. I think she was right. We will be great friends.

After I gave her the rent money for the rest of the month and the deposit, I went to a store and bought an air mattress and a bed set. I also got a small side table and an alarm clock, as well as some bathroom necessities. Everything else would have to wait until I got another paycheck. The air mattress would do for now too, until I could buy an actual bed. But I'd need to start saving money for the baby too, so things will have to happen slowly.

I went back to my mom's and explained to her how I found a place to live and my roommate was very nice and cordial. She didn't need to worry about me. I packed up my stuff and asked Phil to drive me over. I was hesitant letting either of them drive me. I didn't want them to tell Jake where to find me. But with all the stuff I had, it would have been hard taking the bus. I figured asking Phil was a better option than asking my mom. At least Phil seemed to be on my side in all of this. My mom still acted like I needed to go back to Jake and work things out. It got a little irritating with her at times.

I moved my stuff in and Alice and I spent the rest of the night chatting and laughing. It was nice to have someone to talk to again. I did end up telling her about Jake, but I still kept Edward hidden. She hated Jake immediately and told me if he happened to show up, she'd call the police and have him arrested. I was so glad to have someone else on my side.

The next day was a typical day at work. Mr. Caius was frazzled with his orders and shipments coming in. There were far too many books for the small store, but he was hoping for a big sale on Black Friday, so he wanted to be ready.

I called back to Mr. Caius and the other employee, who were back in the store room to tell them I was going to take my lunch break. I walked towards the door and out to the food court. That's where I saw him. Jake was sitting at a table, watching me. I gasped at first sight. How did he find me? But then I thought of my mom. She would have told him. He motioned for me to come over. I sighed and dropped my shoulders, before walking over to him and sitting down across from him.

"If it was a job you wanted, we could have discussed it," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't a job. I work to support myself."

"What, I couldn't support you well enough?" he asked, sarcastically.

"It has nothing to do with you supporting me financially. I left because you weren't supportive in other ways."

"Did I not spend thousands of dollars trying to get you pregnant? Was I not being supportive then?"

"But you made a point to tell me how much it cost and how upset you were to have to spend all your money on something as ridiculous as a fertility specialist. Then after it didn't work, instead of being sympathetic and emotionally available for me you put me down and made me feel even worse."

"What exactly is it you want from me?" he shouted. I shushed him and glanced around to see if anyone was staring. I didn't want to make a scene, but I didn't want to be alone with him either.

"All I want is for you to leave me alone. As soon as I can afford it, I'm going to contact a divorce attorney. I hope we can do this civil and as uncomplicated as possible."

"Your mom let it slip you're pregnant. Nothing about this is going to be uncomplicated. If you think you will be keeping my baby from me on the other side of the country, you're fucking crazy. I will fight for custody and I will win. So unless you want a nasty custody battle, I think you're only option is to come home. This baby needs both parents. And since you brought it up, I did pay for that baby, so it's rightfully mine. Don't even try to mess with me, Bella. You will lose," he warned.

I glared at him. How dare he threaten me? I'm not going to be pushed around by him anymore. It's why I left in the first place. "First of all, I have no intention, of ever going back to you. I will be filing for divorce as soon as I possibly can. As for a custody battle, you can't fight for a child, who is not even yours."

"What?" he asked, bewildered by what I admitted.

"The baby isn't yours," I repeated.

"You're bluffing. You would never cheat on me. You couldn't have. I would have found out. Everyone in Forks gossips, it would have gotten out," he claimed.

"It wasn't someone from Forks." I knew I was lying, because technically Edward was from Forks, but Jake didn't need to know.

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. He had an amused grin on his face. "So who is this mystery man, who isn't from Forks?" he mocked.

"It's none of your business. All you need to know is the baby isn't yours."

"Well, I don't believe you. I'll be contacting my attorney and finding out what my next step will be to gain custody of my child once it's born. Unless of course, you'd like to change your mind, and come home," he wondered.

I stood from the table, glaring down at him. "No way in hell will I ever change my mind," I promised. I walked away and went into the bathroom. I ended up puking again from the nerves running through me. I kept thinking back to the dates and wondering if I was correct. What if Edward wasn't the father like I thought? What if Jake did end up being the dad? What would I do? I knew it would be a hard fight against Jake. Did I even have it in me to fight him on this? All I knew was I had to start figuring things out now, before the baby was born.

I went home after my shift and cried for a good two hours. Alice was extremely concerned and did her best to comfort me. I had only known her for a day, but she was so easy to talk to and comforting. I told her the entire story of what happened and I told her about my one night stand with Edward. I figured she'd be judgmental like my mom seemed to be, but she was kind and understanding. She promised me we would do everything possible to make sure Jake never touched the baby. I hoped she was right.

After a restless night's sleep, I figured I needed to contact some divorce attorneys and find out about cost and custody, in case it came to that. The cost was so much more than I expected. By the end of the day, I was once again in tears. There was no way I could afford all of this. I was lost and distraught. I had no idea what to do.

I talked to my mom and Phil about it and they didn't seem to be much help at all. They suggested I get a second job or a better paying one. I had hoped they would offer to help me out financially with the attorney, but they didn't. I guess my only option was to get a second job.

I searched all week long for something. Phil finally approached me and said he might be able to get me a job at the school he coaches at. He overheard some people he knows, saying they were in desperate need of an assistant in the library. He told me where to go and who to talk to. I was hopeful, but I didn't think it would work out.

"Hello, I'm here to meet Mrs. Cope," I greeted, at the office of the school. I was led back to an office and greeted by short woman with graying hair and thick glasses on.

"You must be Isabella," she greeted.

"Yes, hello, it's so nice to meet you."

"Have a seat." She pointed out the chair across from her desk and I sat down, waiting for this to begin.

"You came highly recommended by Phil Dwyer. He's been with this school as a coach in baseball and soccer for many years and he's an amazing man. He's your step-dad, correct?"

"Yes, he is. He's been really nice to me during all of this."

"On your application it says you worked at your community library for many years and currently you work at a book store in the mall. Are you sure working in our library wouldn't be too much on you? I'm concerned you may be burned out from books."

"Oh, no," I insisted. "I could never get sick of books. I love to read and I enjoy the work I do at the book store."

"May I ask why you're looking for a second job?" she asked.

"Well," I began, nervously. This is where I always lost the job. People weren't willing to hire anyone who was pregnant. But it would be worse if I lied. "I recently found out I'm pregnant. My ex-husband is threatening to sue for custody. But he's a horrible man and I need to start saving money now so I can fight him. I can't let my child live in the environment I had to endure. I have to fight for my baby, but it takes a lot of money to do so."

She looked at me sympathetically. "When are you due?" she asked, quietly.

"In July," I answered. She nodded her head.

"Well, you definitely have the experience. The only thing I'm concerned about is this is a temporary job. Our assistant librarian just had a baby herself and is planning to take the rest of the year off to take care of her baby. She has every intention of coming back next August. And of course the school year ends in May."

"I don't mind. I just need something for right now. If I need to look for another job afterwards, I will."

She nodded her head and smiled. You would need to be here during school hours, so I'd have to ask you to do a back ground check. Mostly what you'd be doing is putting away books and cleaning up after the kids. The librarian will have the most contact with the kids, but by law, anyone working here has to have a background check."

"I understand. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, okay then. You have yourself a job," she announced. "As soon as I get the background check back, you can start. I'll let you know when I get it."

I grinned and let out a relieved giggle. "Thank you so much." I stood to my feet and shook her hand. She told me where I needed to go for the background check and wished me luck.

I rushed across town before the fingerprinting place closed, in hopes I could get in. Thankfully the lady at the front desk was happy to fit me in. I got fingerprinted and had to fill out quite a bit of paperwork.

I started working there Monday through Friday, from eight to two at the beginning of December. I didn't have a lot of free time available anymore, but I needed to make sure I could afford an attorney, if it came to a custody battle.

The next nine months, went fairly easy. Once I figured out how to prevent the morning sickness, or all day sickness in my case, things got a lot easier. I didn't have many complications during the pregnancy, other than being tired all the time. My doctor insisted I was doing too much and I needed to take a break, but I couldn't.

Jake had done as he threatened and contacted an attorney. I had no choice but to do the same. I hired Karen Newton as my attorney. She explained since I didn't want anything from Jake, the divorce should be easy. However, if it turned into a custody battle, then it could get ugly. I explained to her the situation. I left Edward's name out of it completely and only gave the facts. She said if the baby wasn't Jake's, then it shouldn't be a problem. It would be better if the other potential father was present and willing to take responsibility even if the baby wasn't his. It would give us an edge of a solid family unit. I knew it wasn't an option to find Edward. I didn't even know if he'd be willing to take on his own child. How could I expect him to take on someone else's child? I didn't want him to anyway. I wanted him to be happy and live a life he wasn't tied down to out of obligation. But either way, she assured me she would fight for me as long as she needed to.

I enjoyed working at my jobs very much. The school was great. I became friends with many of the teachers and assured them I would come back to visit once the baby was born.

I had purchased an old, beat-up truck to get to and from work. It wasn't the greatest, but it ran. I bought a bed for myself and a few other decorative items to put in my room. Alice even painted a portrait of me with my pregnant belly. It was one of the most cherished things I owned. I hung it on the wall above my bed, so I could see it every day. She also promised to paint a portrait of the baby as soon as he was born.

I found out around twenty weeks, I was having a boy. I couldn't be happier. I pictured him looking exactly like Edward in my dreams. I wondered how much of Edward's features he'd have. I hoped daily, he didn't look like Jake.

At the bookstore, everyone I worked with threw me a baby shower. I was so surprised and overwhelmed by all of their generosity. Alice threw a baby shower as well, but I didn't know half the people who came. I was polite and friendly to all of them and thanked them for their gifts, but it was a little awkward. Alice explained they were all friends of hers and she talks about me constantly, so they all wanted to help me out. I couldn't believe how thoughtful everyone was being.

Alice and I became even closer over the months and she was the only one I wanted present when the baby was born. My mom, of course, had a fit about it and insisted she should be present. I ended up giving in and allowing her to come in too. It would save me stress in the long run.

Jake called me constantly and insisted on updates on the pregnancy. I hated telling him anything, but my attorney said it would look better for our case if I was cooperative. The problem was if the baby wasn't his, I didn't want him knowing anything.

About two weeks before my due date, he showed up in Florida. He would sit outside of the bookstore and wait for me to come out. I eventually had to have Mr. Caius walk me out to my truck every night. He would follow me home and sit outside the condo all hours of the night. I did confront him about it, and he said he was only here to wait for the baby to be born. He didn't trust me and thought I'd do something to mess with the DNA test. He wanted to be present through it all.

I asked my attorney what I could do about it, but she said there really wasn't much I could do. He wasn't confronting me or doing anything physical. I could get a restraining order, but it wouldn't do much good since he was keeping his distance anyway and would probably continue to follow me around and practically stalk me everywhere I went.

Jasper began staying the night almost every night. He was worried about us being alone with Jake outside. I was really beginning to like Jasper. He was overly protective of Alice, but not in a smothering way. He was sweet to her and cared deeply about her safety and happiness.

On my last night at the bookstore, I walked out to my truck with Mr. Caius and we talked for a few minutes. He assured me once my leave was over I had a job to come back to. He wished me luck and told me I'd better bring the baby in for everyone to gush over as soon as I possibly could. I promised him I would and gave him a goodbye hug. I got in my truck and drove away.

Like always, Jake was right behind me and followed me home in his own car. I had planned to stop and get some pizza for Alice and I and most likely Jasper, that night. I had been craving pizza all week and tonight seemed like a great night to have it. It was sort of like a celebration since it was my last night at work. I was a little concerned about stopping anywhere with Jake following me, but it was a public place and there would be people around if he tried to come near me.

I grabbed my purse and opened my truck door to get out. Jake had somehow parked and made it over to me, before I even had a chance to get out of my truck.

"Who the hell was that?" he shouted, grabbing my door.

"Who?" I shouted back.

"The guy you walk out with every night. Who is he? Why were you laughing and hugging him?" he demanded.

"Jake, he's my boss. Tonight was my last night of work. He was wishing me well. I gave him a goodbye hug. There is nothing wrong with being friendly."

"Hugging your boss is a little too friendly, don't you think?" he argued.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head in embarrassment. "I'm not having this conversation with you. In a short time we will be divorced. If I want to have friends and even date someone, I will. You can't tell me what to do anymore."

"I am legally still your husband. I'll do anything I damn well please," he sneered. "And don't you dare roll your eyes at me. You've had your little freedom adventure. Once that baby is born, you'll be coming home."

"No, I won't," I insisted. "I'm not changing my mind on this. I will not ever go back to you."

"You do realize you're the laughing stock back home, right? Everyone thinks you're crazy for leaving me. And your desperate attempt to trick me into thinking this baby isn't mine is beyond pathetic. I talked to the specialist we were seeing and she assured me it was very possible they got the test results wrong. It was still early in the pregnancy."

"You, and everyone back in Forks, can think anything you want. I don't plan to ever go back there, so I'll never see any of them or have to face them," I insisted. "In a few days, once you have solid proof this baby isn't yours, I'll never have to see you either." He just laughed, mockingly at what I said.

"What are you going to do, invent some father who doesn't exist? A DNA test doesn't lie and once I have my proof, you'll be seen as nothing more than a fool. I'll have my son and you'll have nothing. I'll be sure you never see him again." He pushed off the door and stepped away. I hated him so much. I hated him for making me feel helpless and weak. I waited until he was back over at his car, before I shut my door and walked into the pizza parlor. I ordered the pizza and paid, with shaking hands and voice.

"Are you okay, Miss?" the young girl behind the counter asked.

"I'm fine," I assured, with a smile. She watched me closely as I sat down on the bench to wait for my pizza. I had to take many deep breaths to calm down. I seriously wanted all of this to be over. I couldn't do it anymore.

Once my pizza was done, I had calmed down quite a bit, but as soon as I walked out and saw Jake standing up against his car watching me, I got the tightness in my stomach again. I quickly got in my truck and locked all the doors. On the drive home, I called Alice and explained to her what happened. She said her and Jasper would be downstairs waiting for me.

All the way home, my stomach hurt. I didn't even want to eat anymore. All I could do was cry. What if the baby was his and I was forced to give him to Jake? I wouldn't do it. I'd run and hide somewhere if I had to. I never wanted him to even touch my child. All I could do was hope I was right and this baby was Edward's, not Jake's.

I pulled into the parking lot at the condos. Like they promised Alice and Jake were right there, waiting for me. As soon as I saw them, I felt such a relief come over me.

I turned off the ignition and opened the door. I handed Alice the pizza, before reaching for my stuff. Jasper put his hand out to help me. I took it and pulled myself out of the truck. As soon as I did, I had a sharp pain hit me. It took my breath away and made me fall forward. Jasper caught me in his arms to support me.

"Are you okay, Bella?" he asked.

"Um," I cried.

"Bella," Alice called.

"Get your hands off my wife?" Jake yelled from across the parking lot. My entire body tensed up when I heard him. I was terrified for Jasper. I tried to wiggle free from Jasper's arms in fear of what might happen, but he wouldn't let go of me.

"Bella, what's wrong? Did he hurt you?" Jasper asked. I shook my head vigorously. I closed my eyes as another sharp pain hit me.

"I said get your hands off my wife," Jake shouted again, standing behind me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me towards him. Jasper held tight and wouldn't let Jake get a hold of me.

"Sir, I suggest you back off. I don't want to call the police. Now give her a minute to get her bearings," Jasper suggested.

"Give her to me. I'll take care of her," Jake demanded. I grabbed onto Jasper's arm, tightly.

"Jasper, I need to sit down," I whispered. He looked down at me and brushed some of my hair out of my face.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" he wondered. I nodded my head. "Okay, Alice is upstairs. Once she's back, we'll get you there." He helped me up into the truck so I could sit down and stood in the doorway in a protective manner.

"Are you in labor?" Jake asked. I didn't answer.

Alice came running downstairs with the phone in her hand. "I'm calling the police, if you don't get out of here," she threatened.

"Just get her to the hospital," Jake shouted. "I'll follow behind. I don't want my son being born in a parking lot."

"No, how about you go home. This is Bella's baby. Not yours," Alice screamed.

"Alice," Jasper warned. "Let's go. Call the hospital and let them know we're on our way and tell them we may need security."

I don't know what happened after that. The next thing I knew, I was ushered into the back seat of a car with Alice and Jasper began driving. I felt like I was in some sort of trance. I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't see anything. All I could do was feel and what I felt was pain. The pain was everywhere. I closed my eyes tightly, begging for the pain to stop.

Alice got me into a wheelchair and wheeled me into the hospital. I could hear Jake arguing with her to let him do it. Alice wouldn't let him though. I checked in and they brought me up to my room. Jasper was outside of my room doing his best to keep Jake at bay. I could hear him shouting outside of my room and demanding to be let in.

"Alice, please make him go away," I begged. "I don't want him in here."

"They are. There's security out there and even your mom and stepdad are trying to get him to calm down. It'll be fine. I won't let him in here," she assured. "You just focus on breathing." I closed my eyes and did everything I could to block out the commotion outside of my room. The nurse came in and got an IV set up and put the monitors on my abdomen. I wanted an epidural as soon as possible. I couldn't handle the pain anymore. Being stressed about Jake making a huge scene right outside my room and the fear the baby could be his and he'd try to take him away from me, made the pain even worse.

I was in labor throughout the night. I was exhausted and still not having any relief from the pain. My doctor didn't want me to have an epidural until I was at least five centimeters dilated. It was torture waiting to get to that point. When I finally reached five centimeters, it was such a huge relief. I finally felt like I could breathe again.

Thankfully the security guards, with the help of Jasper and Phil, were able to get Jake calmed down. He had to wait in the waiting room with them until there was news about the baby. If he made a scene again, he would be removed from the premises. He took them seriously and controlled himself.

Alice and my mom stayed by my side through all of it. I was surprised how glad I was to have my mom there with me. She was extremely supportive and knew exactly what to do to help me relax and get through each contraction. Alice didn't know much about it, but she stayed right there with me and let me squeeze her hand.

"Alright Bella, it's time," my doctor, announced. "I'm going to get myself ready and we're going to have this baby." As soon as my doctor said it, this overwhelming feeling of fear came over me. This was it. This was the moment I would find out my fate. Would this be Edward's child or Jake's child? Would I have to fight for him, or would I be free to be a mom to my child?

"I'm going to give the men a quick update," my mom said. "I'll be right back." She squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, before walking out into the hall. I squeezed Alice's hand as tight as I could and looked up at her with tears in my eyes.

"What if this baby is Jake's?" I cried. "I can't do it, Alice. I'm not strong enough to fight him. He's going to take my baby." I began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bella," Alice demanded, grabbing my face between her hands. "You _are _strong enough. If you can go through nine months of being pregnant, while working two jobs and dealing with that asshole harassing you on a daily basis, _and _go through this excruciating labor, you can fight him. He will _not _take this baby from you." I nodded my head, trying to hold the sobs back. "You focus on bringing this baby into the world. Don't worry about anything else." She let go of my face and grabbed a washcloth to wipe my tears away.

My mom walked back in, right when the doctor and nurses did. "Okay, Bella," my doctor said. "Here's where it counts. I need you to push on your next contraction.

I did as she said and the next contraction I felt, I pushed with all my might. I pushed and pushed and nothing was happening. I wanted to scream. Why wasn't he coming out?

"You're almost there, Bella. He's getting really close. Just keep pushing. You're doing great," my mom encouraged. Alice continued to wipe my face with the washcloth. I think she was more nervous than I was.

"One more push, Bella and the head will be out," my doctor added. I took a deep breath and pushed as hard as I could. "There you go the heads out. Now stop for a minute and relax. I collapsed back on my pillow and panted from the labor.

"Can you see him?" I asked. "What does he look like?" I wanted to know if he looked like Jake or Edward. Neither Alice nor my mom would tell me anything. It scared me when they wouldn't tell me. It had to be bad if they weren't saying anything.

"Bella, one more small push and he'll be out," my doctor instructed. I sat up and grabbed my knees to push one last time. "He's out. You did it."

I sat up trying to get a better look of him. I wanted to see him. I wanted to touch him. "Can I see him now?" I begged.

"The nurses are checking him out and getting him cleaned up. It'll only be a couple seconds more," my doctor assured.

"Why isn't he crying?"

"He's just fine, Bella. Not all babies cry right away. Just as she was explaining, I finally heard a little cry come from across the room.

"Mom, who does he look like?" I asked. "Please, just tell me." I started crying once again. I knew it had to be Jake's.

"This little boy wants to see his mommy," the nurse cooed. She wrapped him up in a blanket and carried him across the room to me. I wiped my tears and held out my arms for him. She gingerly placed him in my arms. He was still crying, but I held him close, looking down at him and rubbed his little head, which had the slightest amount of reddish- brown hair. "Hi, my baby," I cried. When he heard my voice, he slowly opened his eyes. There staring back at me, were Edward's green eyes. I had read most babies were born with blue eyes and they would change within a few months. But not my baby, he had the bright green eyes I saw in my dreams every night. "My baby Edward."

"Get out of my way," I heard Jake shout. I looked up and saw him pushing his way through the door. He met my eyes for a split second, before rushing across the room. He looked down at the baby in my arms, studying him carefully. I watched his expressions, waiting for some sort of reaction. I held my baby close to my chest. His eyes slowly rose to mine. He looked hurt and betrayed. For a moment, I actually felt guilty and heartbroken for him. He knew it was over. Before he turned to walk out of the room, I was sure I saw a tear form in his eye. He never said a word or made a scene like I expected him to. He simply walked out. It was the last time I ever saw him.

**Part 2 posted tonight too**


	2. Chapter 2

**5 years later **

Jake and I handled the rest of our divorce through our attorney's. I didn't ask for anything, so it was fairly quick. I did continue with the DNA test, just to be sure and have solid proof, so he didn't try to come back later on and try to claim my baby, when I wasn't expecting it.

I named him Edward Jasper after his real father and the one man, who I knew I could count on. We called him EJ for short. The only people who knew I had given him his father's name were Alice and Jasper. He was the spitting image of Edward. It was almost hard to look at him and not cry sometimes. I loved my child more than anything, but seeing the face of Edward every day, only made me miss him even more.

Over the last five years, I'd contemplated trying to contact him. But some way or another I'd always talk myself out of it. I was probably the last person he wanted to see and he definitely would not want to find out he had a child I hid from him for five years.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," EJ yelled, jumping on my bed. "Get up, we need to go."

"Monkey, give mommy a few more minutes," I whined.

"But mom, you promised," he reminded.

"I know," I sighed. "Let me take a quick shower and I'll be ready."

"Okay," he agreed. He jumped off my bed and ran across the room for the door. He truly was a monkey. As soon as he learned to walk, he was jumping and climbing. I couldn't contain him half the time. Thankfully, Jasper was quite the animal himself. He spent many days and nights playing with him and wearing him out. Jasper, Alice, my mom and Phil, helped me out tremendously with him. Once I went back to work, they all took turns watching him for me. I was able to switch my work hours to mornings, so it wasn't so hard on all of them watching him. I couldn't have done it without them. They all loved him and spoiled him rotten.

EJ was five years old now and just about to start kindergarten. I had promised him I would take him school shopping today after we got him registered at the school. He was so excited to start school. We even began counting down days until the first day of school.

After I got ready for the day, I walked out into the kitchen where Alice was making breakfast for her and EJ. I grabbed a coffee cup off the shelf and poured myself a cup.

"So, today's the big day, huh?" she asked. "Today the little monkey boy, gets registered for kindergarten. She ruffled his hair and placed a plate of pancakes in front of him. He smiled and grabbed his fork.

"Auntie Alice, are you coming with us today?" he wondered.

"You expect me to pass up a day of shopping?" she questioned with a grin on her face. She looked over in my direction, making sure it was okay first. I smiled at her and nodded my head. It would be nice for all of us to get out of the house for the day.

I got EJ ready and packed up all the paperwork I needed for registration. He was jumping off the walls with excitement.

"Come on, Mommy," he whined.

"I'm coming." I walked out the door and helped him into his seat. Alice walked out shortly after me and climbed in the passenger seat of my new car. With all the money I had saved in preparation for a custody battle and didn't use, I bought myself a newer car. It was only a simple Volvo, but it worked for us.

We drove across town to the elementary school. EJ looked up at the school in amazement. For the first time in a long time, he didn't talk or jump around. Alice and I gave each other a knowing smile.

We walked in and noticed many other kids with their parent's registering for school. EJ seemed to study each and every one of them closely. He always seemed to study people. It reminded me of his father. The way Edward looked at a person and practically knew their life story was exactly what my son did. There was no denying he was Edward's son. I imagined his hyperactivity was a trait he inherited from his father, too.

I got all the paperwork filled out and we even got to go to his soon to be classroom and meet his teacher, Emily Young. His teacher was so sweet to him and even sat with him for a moment to talk about school and what he was most excited about.

After we left, we went over to the mall and shopped for some new school clothes. Alice picked most of his stuff out and of course everything she showed him, he wanted. For whatever reason, he had a connection to Alice and thought she was the coolest person in the world. He wanted to do everything she was doing.

We stopped in the food court, for a late lunch, after we had shopped most of the day.

"Mommy, can I go play some video games?" he asked.

"Not until you're done eating."

"Auntie Alice, will you come with me?" he begged, giving her his best pouty look.

"You know I can never say no to that face," she gave in.

"Finish eating, first," I ordered.

We finished eating and walked EJ over to the video game store. He found an open game and started playing. It amazed me how kids as young as he was, could play these games with such ease. When I tried to play a game, I ended up lost in the world we were playing in. I was not good at video games at all and it seemed like many times EJ was trying to teach me how to play. He would get so frustrated with me when I didn't go in the right direction or find something I was supposed to find.

Alice and I stood a ways behind him and watched.

"So," Alice began. I could hear the hopeful, serious, tone in her voice. I turned in her direction, waiting for whatever it was she was about to say. "Jasper said he'd watch EJ this Friday night. I thought maybe we could go to a club or something."

Great, I thought to myself. This was yet another one of her attempts of trying to find me a guy. Through the years she had tried to set me up with at least a dozen guys. Some of them were really nice, but I wasn't looking for anyone.

"Alice," I whined.

"Bella, come on. It's been what, almost six years? I know you still have this thing for EJ's father, but since you refuse to contact him, you need to get out there and find another guy. Don't you think EJ deserves to have a father figure in his life? Don't you think you deserve a man in your life? I mean, Bella, how long has it been since… you know," she insinuated. I blushed at her question. I was thankful she didn't say anything out loud considering the amount of kids, including mine, who were surrounding us. However, I wished she wouldn't ask me personal questions like this at all, especially not in a public place.

"My life revolves around my child. He's all that matters to me. I don't need anything else. And he has enough male role models in his life with Jasper and Phil around. They're both great with him and will teach him everything he needs to know about being a boy."

"But he needs a dad," she argued.

"Lots of kids don't have dads. They grow up just fine."

She sighed. "Fine, will you at least go to a club with me and have a couple drinks?"

"I'm too old to go to clubs. I'm almost thirty-one Alice," I laughed.

"And who says your thirties are too old to go out and have fun?" she added.

"I'm going to drop these bags off at the book store." I changed the subject, knowing I was never going to win this argument with her. "They're getting heavy and we still have a lot more shopping to do. I'm sure Mr. Caius will let me store them in the back and we can pick them up when we're done."

"Great way of changing the subject, Bella," Alice accused.

I smiled sheepishly. "Can you watch him for a minute? I'll be right back." She nodded her head. The look on her face told me she was far from done with the conversation.

I walked over to the book store and met Mr. Caius at the front desk.

"Hi, Bella," he greeted. "What are you doing here on your day off?"

"I took EJ to get registered for kindergarten this morning. Now we're doing some school shopping." I held up the bags so he could see.

"Well, where is he?" he asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him in quite a while."

"He's over at the video game store with Alice," I explained. His shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"Oh. I knew I should have started a video arcade instead of a book store. That's where all the money is."

I laughed at his comment. "Would it be okay if I stored these bags in the back so I don't have to carry them around with me all day?" I asked.

"Of course, it's no problem. As long as you bring little EJ by after you're done shopping. I have a gift for him," he bargained.

"You are just as bad as his grandparent's and Alice and Jasper," I accused with a giggle.

"It's just a new book I thought he might like to check out. I know how much he likes dinosaurs and this book is perfect for him. He's going to love it. Besides, any kid who loves to read just as much as he loves to play video games, deserves a little special treat every once in a while," he defended, with a smile.

I shook my head, laughing at his way of justifying him spoiling my son. I walked to the back and placed the bags against the wall. I told Mr. Caius goodbye and walked back out into the mall. I walked slowly, giving EJ a little more time to play and in an attempt to avoid any more conversation with Alice.

I walked around the corner and bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry," we both apologized, simultaneously. I looked up at who it was, and there standing directly in front of me, was Edward. The man I hadn't seen in years. I blinked my eyes over and over. I was sure he was just my imagination playing tricks on me. My heart stopped beating and I felt like I couldn't breathe, when he didn't turn into something else. He was still right there, staring back at me with the same shocked and dumbfounded look on his face. Neither of us said a word.

"Mommy, Mommy, guess what?" I gasped in fear when I heard EJ call. I turned my head and saw him running towards me with a video game waving in his hands.

"EJ, wait for me," Alice yelled. "Edward Jasper Swan, you wait for me."

"Guess what, Mommy?" he asked, coming to a screeching halt in front of me. "Auntie Alice bought me a new video game." I smiled down at him. I felt like my entire body was shaking. I knew my heart was going to punch through my chest at any moment.

I dared a glance up at Edward. He was staring at my child with a gaping mouth and a furrowed brow. I knew he could tell. He slowly leaned down to EJ.

"You're name's Edward?" he asked politely. EJ nodded his head happily. If he only knew who he was talking to right now, I thought. "My name's Edward, too. It's a pretty cool name, huh?" EJ smiled at him with agreement.

"Oh shit," Alice gasped, finally reaching up to us. She knew. I looked at her with wide eyes, pleading with her for some sort of help. I didn't know what to do.

"What game did you get?" Edward asked. EJ held out the game and explained everything about it and what all the characters names were. I couldn't register anything he said though. All I knew was I was in a huge mess and I didn't know how to get out of it.

Edward glanced up at me with confusion and anger in his eyes. My head dropped in shame. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"You know what," Alice announced. "I'm in the mood for some ice cream. EJ would you like to get some ice cream with me?" He jumped up and down with excitement. She reached out her hand for his, giving me a quick look of encouragement. I forced a smile, thanking her for taking him.

I slowly raised my eyes to Edward's, biting my bottom lip. He was still watching my child, his child, walk away. As soon as he was out of sight, he turned his attention back on me. He stared at me like he was waiting for some sort of explanation. However, nothing I could possibly say would make any of this better.

"I can explain," I cried. I…"

"He's mine isn't he?" he asked, interrupting me. Tears began falling down my face. I nodded my head to answer him. He let out a long breath, and ran his fingers through his hair, thinking things over.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"I have to go to a meeting," he interrupted again. "I only stopped here for a minute to pick up a new shirt." I waited for him to say something more. I assumed he'd be mad and demand answers. "Will you meet with me later? Please?" I took a deep breath and nodded my head in agreement. He told me to meet him at a place called Eleven South at eight. He seemed like he wanted to say so much more, but he kept looking at his watch and sighing. He left, and I took a minute to catch my breath, before walking over to where Alice and EJ were.

Alice looked at me with concern in her eyes. EJ was oblivious to anything going on.

"So, what happened? she asked.

"He wants me to meet him later. He said he had to get to a meeting," I answered.

"Does he know?"

"Yes," I cried. She reached out her hand for mine, in an attempt to comfort me. "What if he tries to take him? I can't handle it again."

"Bella, just tell him the truth. Hopefully everything will work out and it won't end up being a bad thing," she assured.

"Mommy, why are you sad?" EJ asked.

"Nothing baby, I'm fine." I smiled down at him and rubbed his back. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, while he ate his ice cream.

I wasn't in the mood to do any more shopping, but we kept going. Alice made sure to help EJ with everything, so I wouldn't have to. I had so many thoughts running through my head. I couldn't believe I ran into him after all these years. He looked exactly the same as I remembered him. He had definitely grown up and was much more sophisticated now. My biggest fear was he would want to take my baby away from me. He could try to fight me in court for him. I knew if he demanded a DNA test like Jake had, all those years ago, it would come up a positive match. I couldn't afford a court battle. I knew I should have never spent the money I had saved the first time, on a car. I should have been preparing for this possibility all along.

Later that night, after I got EJ settled down for the night and he was watching cartoons with Jasper in the living room, Alice helped me get ready. She treated this like it was some sort of a date. She picked out revealing dresses and caked on the make-up. I finally had to tell her to take it easy. She seemed perturbed I was asking her to calm down, but she did. I picked out a light grey spaghetti strap dress. It hit just below the knees and wasn't too revealing or flashy. It was simple. I wanted simple for this. Alice of course scoffed at the dress and thought I needed to wear something a little nicer, but I wouldn't budge on what I picked out. I took off all the make-up she had caked on my face and added just a touch of lip gloss. I left my hair down, only blow-drying it for a little volume. This wasn't a date, so I didn't need to dress like it was. I was sure I'd probably end up crying at some point in the night anyway, so what was the point of getting all dolled up?

I kissed the top of EJ's head and hugged him goodbye. Alice and Jasper assured me he would be fine and they'd get him to bed for me.

I drove across town and pulled into the parking lot. I wanted to cry before I even got out of the car. I had no idea what to expect.

I walked up to the doors and was greeted by the hostess. "Good evening."

"Hi, I'm here to meet Edward, uh… Cullen." I had to pause for a second to remember what his last name was.

"Of course, you must be Bella? Mr. Cullen has asked me to tell you he's running a little late from his meeting and asks if you'll wait for him. I can show you to your table and start you off with a drink, if you'd like?"

"That'll be fine." I followed her through the crowd to a secluded table in the corner. I quickly looked over the drink menu and ordered a pomegranate martini. I thought maybe the alcohol would calm my nerves a little.

I waited for nearly forty-five minutes for him to show up. I kept telling myself five more minutes and I'm leaving. However, I couldn't go through with it. So, I continued to wait. When he finally showed up, he looked frazzled and irritated. I knew this wasn't going to be good.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had no idea my meeting was going to take so long," he apologized.

"It's fine," I assured.

"Did you order something to eat already?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? It's my treat."

"No, thank you."

"Okay," he said, letting it go.

I took a deep breath knowing I needed to get this over with. "I'm sure you want answers."

"It would be nice," he agreed.

"Is there anything specific you want to know?" I asked, looking down at the table. I was having a hard time looking him in the face without feeling guilty.

"Why didn't you tell me? You knew how to find me. You knew where my family lived. You knew where I was going to school. Why didn't you come find me?" he wondered.

"The last time I saw you, you were running away to nowhere specific, because you hated school and you got in a huge fight with your dad. How was I supposed to know you went back to school or were even talking to your parents?"

"You didn't even try, Bella," he accused. "You told me to go back and I did. I did it for you. You couldn't even give me the courtesy of letting me know I had a child?" I could hear the anger and frustration in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I thought it would be better this way. I didn't want to ruin your life with a child you probably didn't want."

"So, you decided what _you _thought was best for everyone. You didn't stop to think how this would affect me or affect him? You didn't consider my feelings in any of this. Are you that selfish you couldn't even give me the decency of letting me decide for myself whether or not I wanted to be involved? This is really fucked up, Bella."

"I'm sorry," I cried. There wasn't much else I could say. He was right about everything.

He sat back in his chair and sighed, heavily. "Where is he now?"

"He's with my roommate and her boyfriend. They're family to him. He's known them since he was born and he's safe with them." I wanted to assure him EJ was happy and healthy and well taken care of.

He laughed, shaking his head. "It's really screwed up, that he sees your roommate as family and doesn't even know who his father is," he insinuated. I felt horrible. I didn't know what he wanted me to do. "I want to see him. I have a right to be his father."

My eyes shot up to his. "You can't. Please Edward, he's all I have. He's everything to me. I already had to go through a custody battle. I can't do it again. You can't take him from me," I pleaded, beginning to cry. He reached out his hand for mine and took it in his, in a comforting way.

"I didn't say anything about taking him from you," he assured. "I just want to get to know him. I want to be a father to him."

"So, you don't plan to sue for custody?" I asked, making sure, that's what he meant.

"Not unless you refuse to let me see him."

I sighed in relief. "Okay, we can work something out." He nodded his head in agreement and slid his hand back across the table. I put mine back in my lap and sat back.

"How did it happen?" he asked. I gave him a questioning look. How could he not know how it happened? "I mean, I know how it happened. But… during the uh… well you said it was okay. I assumed you were on birth control or something."

"No," I answered, embarrassed. "I thought you were just worried about hurting me. I wasn't really thinking at the time. The day before, I found out the in vitro fertilization my ex-husband and I had tried, failed. I guess I just assumed I couldn't get pregnant. I thought it was a lost cause and the farthest thing from my mind that night."

We sat silently for a few minutes. I glanced up at him periodically. He was staring at me intently. I knew what he was doing, he was studying me. It made me uncomfortable.

"So, how did you end up in Jacksonville Florida?" he wondered.

"My mom and step-dad live here. I'm happy here. I have friends. I have a good job. EJ is well taken of and has lots of people who love him. He's starting school in just a couple weeks." I smiled at the thought of him. "He's so excited. We had to register him today and he got to meet his teacher and see his classroom."

"Will I be able to meet his teachers every year?" he asked.

"I guess it all depends on what you want. I'm not asking you to be a part of his life if you don't want to. I won't ever ask for child support or anything else. We're fine the way we are. He's happy and well taken care of."

"You keep saying he's well taken care of. Do you think I'm going to doubt your abilities as a mother?" he questioned.

"My ex did. He thought I was crazy. Even before he was born I was already going through a custody battle. My ex didn't believe I had cheated on him and he assumed I was lying to get out of going back to him. He threatened to take EJ away from me and I'd never see him again. He made me feel like I wasn't good enough to be a mom. All the way to the end, I had to endure his presence in my life. Even at the birth, he was there."

"But once he saw my eyes and not his own, he knew," Edward finished. I glanced up at him and nodded my head in agreement. "It's the first thing I noticed. He has my eyes."

"He has everything from you. It was so hard to look at him sometimes. I always saw you."

"Do you hate me that much you can't even look at me?" he wondered, with a hurt expression.

"No… it's not… I just…," I stumbled over my words, but nothing I could say would come out right. "I just felt guilty for what I did."

"What _did _you do?"

I scoffed at his question. "I cheated on my husband. And not only did I cheat, but I did it with someone who was only a child. I left you stranded in a hotel room. I didn't tell you about your son. I didn't think about your feelings in any of this. I just thought I was doing the right thing by not telling you. I wanted you to have a better life. I didn't want you tied down to me or a child you didn't want. But I guess I was wrong."

"What makes you think I didn't want to be tied down to you or that I wouldn't want a child?" he asked. "And for the record, I wasn't a child. I was eighteen and fully aware of what I was doing. It's not like you took advantage of me."

I was lost for words. I didn't know how to respond to him. I swiped at my eyes with my finger. There was no way I could fix any of this.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess if you want to see him, we can set a time and place and I'll bring him. My only request is you don't tell him you're his father, yet. I don't want to confuse him. I need to ease him into this." He nodded in agreement even though I could tell he wasn't happy about it.

"Why did you name him Edward?" he asked.

"I wanted to give him his father's name. He was you." He watched me closely once again. I wanted to leave so bad.

"Does he like going to the park?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and tilted my head. "What five year old doesn't like going to the park?" I asked sarcastically.

He grinned, shyly. "Can you meet me at a park tomorrow, so I can play with him? We can have lunch afterwards or something."

"Okay," I agreed. I gave him the name of a park near our house and told him what time to meet us. He said he'd be there. He paid for my drink, leaving a rather large tip on top of it. He walked me out to my car and we said our goodbyes.

I cried all the way home. I was thankful, at least for now, he wasn't going to try to take my child away from me. But the closer they got and the more he got to know his son, the more he was going to want. I didn't know if he lived in the area or if he was just here for a short time. I guessed I should have asked him more questions, but I was too nervous to ask anything.

All night long, I sat on the edge of EJ's bed, contemplating what I should do. I thought maybe I needed to contact an attorney again, just to be prepared. But I didn't want to keep Edward from his son. He deserved a chance to get to know him. He deserved a chance to be a father. As hard as it may be for me to let him go, I had to give him this. My child deserved to know his father too. It would be wrong of me to keep him from his father.

I watched as the sun rose outside and a beam of light hit EJ's face. I gently pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. He opened his eyes and grinned up at me. He had the same grin Edward had last night.

"Morning, Mommy," he said.

I smiled down at him. "Good morning, baby. What would you like to do today?"

"Play my video game," he answered.

I nodded my head. "For a little while you can. We're going to the park around lunch time to meet an old friend of mine."

"We're going to the park?" he asked, excitedly. "Who are we meeting?"

"Do you remember the man you met at the mall, yesterday?"

"The man, who had the same name as me," he clarified.

"Yes, that man. We're going to meet him. He wants to play with you and take us to lunch."

"Are you going to be there, too?" he wondered.

"Of course, I am. I wouldn't leave you there with someone you don't know very well. But I want you to have fun today with him, okay?"

"Mommy?" he asked. I hummed in response. "Why does he have the same name as me?"

"There's lots of Edward's in this world. There's lots of Bella and Alice's. Just like there are lots of mommies in the world. Edward is a popular name. Now get up and let's go play that video game." He crawled out of bed and ran down the hall to the living room. We sat down on the couch and played the game together for a long time. Alice and Jasper eventually got out of bed and joined us in the living room. Jasper took over my controller and Alice motioned for me to follow her to the kitchen.

"So, what happened?" she asked.

"He wants to see him. He asked me to meet him at the park today and bring EJ with me. I'm so scared, Alice. I didn't sleep at all. He said he wouldn't take him away from me, but if he gets close to him, he's going to want more and more time with him. It's only a matter of time before he wants him permanently."

"Bella, you're jumping to conclusions. You have no way of knowing that. I'm sure something can be worked out. Divorced couples make it work every day."

"But we're not divorced, Alice. I kept his son from him out of my own possessiveness. I didn't want to share him. He was really angry last night."

"Well, all I can say is you need to make it work somehow. I'll fight for you and EJ if it comes to a custody battle and so will Jasper. But I think he needs his father in his life, so I hope you can work something out with him."

"I need to take a shower. I'll be right back," I announced.

"Of course you do. You always have to do something when we're in the middle of a serious conversation," she accused. I knew I always changed the subject or found some sort of an excuse when we were in conversations I didn't want to discuss with her. But I didn't like serious conversations. I always seemed to get in trouble when I did.

I went to the bathroom and got in the shower letting myself cry once again. This was becoming too much to handle. I thought dealing with Jake was bad, but this seemed so much worse. This was real. I couldn't hand over a DNA test and say get out of my life. I had to face what happened and the choices I made and learn how to live with them for the sake of my child.

Around eleven, I had EJ take a bath and I picked out a nice outfit for him. He begged to wear his new school clothes, but I knew he'd end up getting them filthy, so I made him wear something else. I combed his hair and put on his shoes.

I dressed in a simple blue blouse with a pair of jeans and sandals.

I told EJ he could bring his bucket and shovel and a couple of his trucks to play in the sand. He was so excited. He had a permanent grin on his face and skipped all the way to the park. We didn't live far, so we walked.

I spotted Edward standing near the playground, waiting for us. As soon as he saw us he walked over, meeting us half way. He leaned down to EJ's level and smiled at him.

"Hi, EJ," he greeted. "I see you brought some toys to play in the sand. Would you mind if I played with you?"

He glanced up at me, asking for permission. I nodded my head and let go of his hand. Edward held out his hand for him and he took it. I watched as they walked together over to the sand pit and sat down. I found a bench nearby and collapsed against it. I laid my head in my hands and cried. I knew I had to do this, but it was hard.

After a while, I felt someone sit down next to me and rub my back. I shot up and came face to face with Edward. I wiped my tears away and sniffled.

"Can I ask why you're crying?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

"Bella, I'm not going to take him from you. I would never hurt you like that. You're a good mom. I can tell just by the way he interacts with me. He's so smart. He even asked me if I was his dad. He already knows."

"What did you tell him?" I asked, panicked he may have broke our agreement.

"I told him he needed to talk to you. I didn't know what else to say. But he knows Bella, and I want him to know."

"Then I need to ask you some questions," I informed.

"Okay, shoot."

"Where do you live?"

"Seattle."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an engineer. I work with my brother-in-law, Emmett."

"Are you married or do you have a girlfriend?" He paused, looking at me with questioning eyes. "I need to know if he's going to have a step-mom or some other mother figure in his life. I want to know they aren't going to resent him or be mean to him in any way if he ever spends time with you when I'm not around."

"No, Bella. I'm not married and I don't have a girlfriend. The only people he may have contact with would be my family. I called them last night and told them. My dad's skeptical and wants a DNA test done, but my mom and sister are thrilled and can't wait to meet him."

"If, and this is a big if, I was ever to let him go to Seattle to visit you, I don't want him in Forks. I know it's where your parents live, but I can't risk him being seen by my ex. I don't know if he would even know it was him or if he'd do anything, but I don't trust him."

"Who's your ex?" he wondered.

"Jacob Black," I answered. He started to laugh.

"Well, you don't need to worry about him then. He lost his shop after the police found out he was using hot parts. Apparently, the rumor is, he was also running drugs on the side."

"Are you serious?" I asked. I was shocked and had no idea.

"Yeah, he lost everything. He's serving time in prison for what he did."

"I always wondered where he got all his money. It seemed a little odd to make so much, just from a small town mechanic shop," I admitted.

"So, Jake's the one who hurt you and put you through hell throughout the pregnancy?" I nodded my head to answer him.

"Bella, I promise you, I won't ever hurt you. All I want is to be a part of his life. I'll even move here if it makes things easier."

"You'll move here? What about your job?" I wondered.

"Well, Emmett's been thinking, of branching out in the company. So, I just found the best sales pitch to get him to agree. I need to be down here for a few months anyway because of a job. I'll just make it permanent. I can start up a business here and I can spend time with EJ. And you." He said the last part so quietly, I could barely hear him. I wasn't sure what he meant by it.

"Mommy," EJ called. "Come see what I made." I stood to my feet and walked over to the sand box. He had made tracks in the sand for his trucks and a huge hill the trucks had to climb up. Edward stood next to me and listened intently to him tell us all about what he made.

We stayed a little longer, letting EJ play in the sand. Edward took him over to the swing for a while too and they chased each other through the climbing structure. For the first time, I smiled as I watched them play. Maybe this could work out. He seemed sincere in what he was saying.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," EJ said when they both came over to where I was sitting.

"I saw a burger place around the corner. We could go there for lunch," Edward offered.

I agreed and the three of us walked over to the restaurant. It was a place we'd been before. We walked in and found a booth. EJ grabbed the crayons on the table and started coloring his paper.

"Can I help you?" the waitress asked.

Edward gestured for me to go first. "He'll have the kids chicken strip basket with a chocolate shake and I'll have the cheeseburger basket with a chocolate shake."

"And for you sir?" she asked.

He grinned, looking across the table at me. "I'll have the same."

We watched EJ color, silently.

When the food came a little while later, I made EJ put his coloring away, so he could eat.

"So, do you still dip your French fries in your shake?" Edward asked.

I looked up at him and smiled. I was sure I was blushing too. I grabbed a fry and dipped it in my shake, and popped it in my mouth, answering his question. He laughed.

He grabbed one of his French fries and dipped it in his own shake. I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged his shoulders. "Once I was introduced to it, I couldn't stop." I laughed at him. "Does EJ dip his fries in his shake too?" he wondered.

"No," I replied, grabbing the ketchup. "Like I said, he's exactly like you." I squirted the ketchup on his plate and he started eating them. I didn't realize my slip up, until I noticed Edward staring at me.

"Are you going to tell him?" he asked.

"I already know," EJ cut in, surprising us both. He looked up at me. "He's my dad. I heard you and Auntie Alice talking about how I was named after my dad. His name is Edward, my name is Edward. He's my dad."

"What do you think about him being your dad?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I like him. He's fun." Edward smiled from across the table.

"Would you like it if I was around more?" Edward asked him.

"Yeah," he expressed, excitedly.

"Good, because I plan to be around for a long time," Edward informed.

We finished eating our food and left the place. EJ was so adamant about his new dad coming back to meet his Auntie Alice and Uncle Jasper. He was hesitant at first, but I assured him it was fine. We walked the few blocks back to the condo and walked inside. Jasper and Alice were in the living room. Jasper was watching TV while Alice was painting a new picture at her easel.

They both turned their heads, glancing back and forth between me and Edward.

"Auntie Alice, Uncle Jasper, guess what?" EJ shouted, jumping on the couch. "Edward is my dad."

"Is that so?" Jasper asked.

"Yep and he's going to come visit me and take me to cool places and play video games with me." He paused for a minute and turned back to Edward. "Can you stay and play video games with me right now?" he asked.

"Sure," Edward agreed, with a smile.

"Um, Edward this is my roommate and best friend, Alice and her boyfriend, Jasper," I introduced. He walked across the room and shook both of their hands politely.

"Come on, dad," EJ demanded. I noticed Edward smile hugely when EJ called him dad.

I walked over to Alice's side. "Well, it looks like all of you have taken to this new development rather well," she observed.

"I think things are going to be okay. I don't know what the future holds, but for now I think we'll all be okay."

Edward stayed for the rest of the day. He played video games with EJ and talked to Jasper quite a bit. Jasper, always the protective one, was overly curious about who this guy was and what his intentions were.

Alice invited him to stay for dinner and he accepted gladly. After dinner, he helped give EJ a bath and lied with him on his bed and read him the dinosaur book Mr. Caius had given him the day before. Everything seemed to be going just fine. I was actually feeling really good about Edward being around.

Once EJ had fallen asleep, he slipped out from under him and walked out to the hall, where I was standing and watching. He motioned for me to follow him with a serious look on his face. It concerned me. What was going to happen now?

I followed him outside and down to the parking lot. I forgot we had walked here, meaning he didn't have a car. If he did have a car, he left it at the park.

"Would you like me to give you a ride over to your car?" I asked.

"No, its fine, I can walk. I don't want you to have to leave him."

"He's with Jasper and Alice. He's fine," I assured. I didn't want him to start questioning their abilities with him. Jasper and Alice have always been great with him.

"I know. I would rather you stay though," he explained. "Look, I have to fly home in the morning. I don't want to leave, but I need to be back for work. I'm going to look into moving down here as soon as I can. I want to be able to call him every day, if it's okay."

"Sure," I agreed. "He starts school in a couple weeks though. So, there may be times he won't be available. If you want to call around his bedtime every night…"

"Would you be opposed to moving in with me when I move down here?" he interrupted.

"Excuse me?" I asked, lost for words.

"I don't want to miss anymore of his life. I've already missed five years because of you. The least you could do is let me have as much time as possible with him from now on. He needs a room of his own anyway. He needs his own space. I could give him that," he insisted.

"In other words, you want to take him from me, because you don't think I can provide for him what he needs," I added. "This is exactly what I thought would happen. I knew you were going to try to take him."

"Did you not hear the part where I said I wanted you to live with me, too?" he asked. "I don't want to take him from you. All I want is what I've missed all these years. I want to be able to be a father. Not someone who comes in every other weekend to take him somewhere and spend time with him. I want to be a part of every little thing. I want to be there when he's sick or scared. I want to be there for soccer practice or music recitals. I want to be able to read him a book every night before bed. Do you have any idea how great it felt to have him call me dad earlier? But, at the same time, it killed me because I missed out on all of it for five years."

"I'm sorry. I don't know how many more times I can say, I'm sorry. What do you want me to do to make up for it?"

"I want you to agree to move in with me. I'll start looking for a three bedroom apartment or maybe even a house with a backyard. I'll take care of all living expenses, if you just agree to let me have him in my life permanently."

"It would be awkward living together and you know that," I worried. "How would it work for us? How would we make it work?"

"I'll give you your space. I won't interfere in anything you do. I just want to be involved in EJ's life and I want us to be able to make decisions together where he's concerned," he informed.

I sighed. "I can't give you an answer right now. I'll have to think about it and let you know."

"I figured you would. I'll uh, be in touch and hopefully back here in a few weeks, if not sooner."

"Alright," I said.

He stared at me for a few seconds, before quickly moving closer to me and kissing me lightly on the cheek. "Thank you for today. This has definitely been one of the best days of my life." He smiled and walked away to head back to his car.

The following weeks, he called every night at exactly six pm. He talked to EJ for usually about fifteen minutes. EJ had to tell him everything about each day and let him know how many more days until he started school. Every night he'd ask if Edward was going to be back in time to take him to school on the first day. Edward assured him he'd be back. At the end of their conversations, EJ would hand me the phone and Edward would ask me how he was doing and if there was anything new going on he should know about. Then he'd ask if I'd given any more thought to moving in with him. I'd thought about it every day since he suggested it and as much as I wanted to make up for what I did to him, I didn't feel right about living with him. So I would always tell him I was considering my options and we'd discuss it more when he was back. He never seemed to like my answer, though.

On EJ's first day of school, just like he promised, Edward showed up at our door to drive EJ to school. EJ was jumping off the walls with excitement. He couldn't wait to see his classroom.

Edward drove us to the school. We walked EJ into his classroom and helped him get his stuff put away. We walked over to the teacher and she talked to EJ for a few minutes, telling him how excited she was to see him and how she hopes he enjoys school. Then, she asked us to pose for a family photo for a scrapbook she would put together for each child at the end of the year. I glanced at Edward, nervously. EJ of course, didn't see anything wrong with this and grabbed both of our hands, dragging us over to where the camera was. He crawled up on the stool and Edward and I stood behind him. We both placed a hand on each of his shoulders and Edward placed his other hand on the small of my back. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat. This was odd. We weren't like all the other happy families in the classroom. We smiled for the picture and I quickly moved away from Edward as soon as the camera flashed. He seemed stunned I moved away so fast.

After a few more minutes of making sure EJ was comfortable in his class, we left. The drive back home was awkward. Neither of us said a thing. He pulled into the parking lot and I opened the door to get out.

"Have you made a decision yet?" he asked.

I paused at the door and sat back down in the seat. He didn't look at me. He stared at the steering wheel, waiting for an answer.

"No," I answered. "I'm not ready to make that big of a move, at least not yet. I think it would be confusing for EJ and I don't want to overwhelm him. I mean, he's only had a father for a few weeks."

"And whose fault is that?" he countered, angrily.

"See, this is why it would never work living together. Every day you would find some way to remind me of how I hurt you. I can't live like that. I know I hurt you and I feel horrible about it. But how many more times do you expect me to say I'm sorry?"

"I don't expect you to say anything. What I want is for you to make this better. I want this to work for all of us."

"I'm not saying, no. I'm just saying, not yet," I argued.

He sighed heavily. "Fine," he agreed. "I'd like to talk to an attorney…"

"What?" I shouted. "You promised."

"Calm down and let me finish," he requested. "All I want is to have my name put on his birth certificate, so I can legally be his father and have some rights. I think it'll require a DNA test, so I hope that's okay. My dad suggested I do this anyway. I know he's mine. I don't need the DNA test to know he's mine. But I just want it official and documented. I'm not doing it for any other reason."

"Okay, fine." I climbed out of the car and watched him pull out of the parking lot angrily. I knew he was upset, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't live with him and pretend everything was perfect. Nothing about this situation was perfect or remotely tolerable.

I walked towards the stairs to head up to the condo. When suddenly I heard a car, come to a screeching halt behind me. I turned around to see Edward jumping out of his car and walking towards me quickly. It scared me. I wanted to run.

"Do you have any idea how fucked up this is?" he shouted. "I'm the one making all the sacrifices to be a part of his life. I'm the one who is changing my entire life around and trying to do everything possible to make this situation work for _you_. Yet you aren't even trying to make any effort to let me be a part of his life. I was the one hurt in this situation or did you forget that? Have you even thought about what's going to happen if he ever asks why I wasn't there for him the first five years of his life? How am I supposed to answer him? How am I supposed to tell him, your mother didn't tell me about you? Don't you think it might cause him to have a little resentment towards you? You're so worried about me going to court to fight for custody and I'm starting to wonder if I need to. You aren't the victim here. EJ and I are the victims. You are the one who caused us to be the victims. You should be the one doing everything possible to make this right." He shook his head angrily and walked back to his car, without letting me say a word in response. I let out a shaky breath once he was gone and slowly walked back up the condo.

Alice greeted me as soon as I walked in. "So, how did it go? Did he have any anxiety about his first day?"

"He did fine." I answered. My voice was shaking when I said it.

"Bella, what's wrong?" she asked, with a serious expression. She sat me down on the couch and I told her what happened with Edward and even about his offer, since I hadn't told her about it, yet. She listened intently to everything I was saying before she commented on any of it.

"Bella, I know you're probably not going to like me for saying this, but he's right. You need to stop looking at him as the enemy and start working together. As much as I'd hate for you and EJ to move out, I really think it might benefit both of you to move in with him. EJ needs a father and he seems really happy to have Edward in his life. Let him have that, without feeling like its wrong. I know it's going to be hard at first, but I think things will work out for the better in the long run. You need to think about what's best for EJ, not how hard it's going to be for you."

"So, you're saying I'm selfish too," I complained.

"I'm not saying your selfish, Bella. You give up everything for EJ. You make huge sacrifices for him every day. But right now, honestly, I think you're afraid of what you feel for Edward still and you're afraid of being hurt. He's mad at you and it's hard for you to take in. I also think you're worried EJ might want to be with Edward more than you." I hated her for being right. I knew it had a lot to do with my decision. I couldn't live with him, knowing I still had feelings for him. It was hard enough being in the same vicinity as him.

"I need to get ready for work," I said, changing the subject. She rolled her eyes and sighed. I knew I'd changed the subject again and she was irritated with me for it. But I really did need to get ready.

I was distracted all day and barely got any work done. I had to figure out how to make it work. He was right. He was making all the sacrifices and I wasn't giving him much. He needed to have more time with EJ. But I was terrified to live with him.

I got off in time to pick up EJ, but I knew Edward would be there and it scared me to have to face him again. I pulled into the parking lot and walked over to where all the parent's were standing to wait for their kids. I saw Edward instantly. He saw me and slowly began walking towards me.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did," he apologized.

"No, you were right," I argued. "I haven't been fair to you at all. You are making a lot of sacrifices and actually being amazingly understanding through all of this. I need to be more supportive of you and EJ's relationship and give you more time with him. I'm not ready to move in with you, but I'll give you more time with him."

"You will?" he questioned.

"Yeah, as much time as you need," I agreed.

"Thank you," he accepted. I nodded my head. We both turned when we heard the kids coming out the doors. We watched for EJ and as soon as he saw us, he came running with a huge grin on his face.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," he yelled. He jumped up into my arms and hugged me tightly. It made me feel good. I was still the first one he came to. "Guess what? I made friends today and we made art projects and we got to put a puzzle together and we played on the playground. I had the best day, today." He was so excited about telling me everything, he wouldn't stop.

"I'm glad you had a good day, today. Do you like your teacher and all your classmates?" I asked, still holding him in my arms.

"Yep," he replied. "And guess what else? Tomorrow we get to go to the library and check out books. I told my teacher I already have lots of books because my mommy works at a bookstore, but she said I still get to check one out. Isn't that exciting?"

"It is exciting. I can't wait to see what you pick out for us to read together," I answered.

"Maybe sometime you and I can read together, too," Edward suggested. EJ turned in his direction and smiled at him.

"You'll read to me too, dad?" he asked.

"Absolutely," he answered, putting his hands out for EJ. EJ leaped into his arms and gave him a huge hug. "I'll read to you anytime you want me too." Edward held him close and breathed him in. For the first time, I began to think Edward may end up being a really good father to EJ. I just needed to give him the chance.

"So, what are we doing today?" EJ asked.

"Well, I am moving into my new house. My brother-in-law is supposed to be driving in later today with my stuff. I came early so I didn't miss your first day of school. Maybe in a couple days, once I get everything set up, you can come over and spend the night. I'm going to have an entire room set up, just for you," Edward informed.

EJ smiled. "Really? Just for me?"

"Just for you," he agreed, chuckling at EJ's enthusiasm. "So, the rest of this week, I'm going to be pretty busy. I'll still come every day to take you to school and pick you up, if you'd like. But I really want to get my house set up, so you can come over. I was thinking maybe this weekend I could take you and your mom to the zoo. Would you like that?"

EJ shook his head excitedly. "Mom, can we?"

"Sure," I agreed, with a smile.

I let EJ ride back to the condo with Edward. He stayed a few minutes more, while EJ told him every detail about his day at school. When he finally did leave, EJ seemed sad. I hated seeing him upset. I knew I needed to make this right, not only for Edward but for EJ too.

Edward and I agreed I would drop EJ off at school and he would pick him up after school and hang out with him for a little while, until I got off work. It seemed to work out well and EJ definitely enjoyed the extra time with Edward.

On Saturday, EJ was up bright and early, so we could get ready to go to the zoo. I knew Edward planned to take us over to his house after the zoo and I figured he'd want EJ to stay the night. So, I packed him a bag of clothes and his favorite book and stuffed animal, just in case.

Edward picked us up at nine in the morning and we drove to the zoo. Edward insisted on paying the admission cost and even for lunch. I told him he didn't have to. I didn't want him to think he needed to take care of me. But he insisted the zoo was his idea, so he was paying.

We walked around the park and looked at all the animals. EJ especially liked the elephants and the lions. They had a train there as well and EJ begged to ride on it. He really enjoyed the train ride through all the exhibits.

After we had gone through every exhibit and looked at all the animals, we went into the gift shop. Edward bought EJ a T-shirt, a couple stuffed animals, a new book all about elephants, a poster with lions on it, and a few little trinket toys to play with. I thought everyone else was bad about spoiling him. Edward was worse.

"Mommy, guess what?" EJ shouted as they walked out of the gift shop with their hands loaded with stuff. "Look what me and daddy got for you." He held out a stuffed monkey in his hands. I smiled and took it from his hands. "You always say I'm your monkey, so we got you a monkey." I hugged him and thanked him for the gift. I looked up at Edward mouthing the words thank you. He nodded his head and smiled.

Like I expected, Edward asked if we wanted to go back to his house and check it out. EJ was extremely thrilled to see his room. It turned out he didn't live very far from where we lived currently and it was still in the same school district. He pulled up in front of a decent sized house with a nice front yard. He helped EJ out and carried all of his stuff. We walked in and instantly I felt at home. It was decorated in warm, inviting colors. There was a huge kitchen, which I liked. Through the dining room was a nice sized backyard with a small fenced in pool. EJ noticed the swing set and sand box in the back yard almost immediately. He jumped up and down with excitement to try it out. But first Edward wanted to show him his room.

We walked down the hallway and Edward pointed out the bathroom and where his room was and the extra room, which I assumed would be mine if I chose to move in here with him. At the far end of the hall was EJ's room. On the outside of the door was EJ's name painted on it. EJ was smiling from ear to ear and jumping with anticipation. I didn't think he could handle the wait any longer. Edward and I were both laughing at him. Finally, the door swung open and EJ walked in, followed by me and Edward. EJ gasped as he looked around. He had a twin size bed with a dinosaur bedspread and sheets. There was a shelf full of books and board games. A toy box, full of toys, sat in the corner. One whole wall had a mural of a dinosaur scene painted on it. There was a closet full of new clothes. EJ was lost for words, which was a first for him.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked. He nodded his head as he continued to look around the room and take it all in. "My mom and my sister were here to help decorate, while my brother-in-law and I unpacked the moving truck. I told them how much you liked dinosaurs and they made it happen."

EJ turned around and hugged Edward tightly. "It's perfect, dad. I love it."

"I thought maybe if it's okay with your mom, you could stay tonight," Edward suggested.

"Can I, Mom?" he asked looking up at me with pleading eyes.

"Of course you can, baby. If you want to stay, you can."

After the excitement wore off a little, Edward ordered a pizza for dinner and made ice cream sundaes for dessert. We sat out in the living room and watched a movie, until EJ got tired. Edward carried him back to his bedroom and helped him get his pajamas on and read him a story before he fell asleep. I stayed out in the living room and waited. I just wanted to be sure he would be okay, before I left for the night.

After about twenty minutes, Edward walked back out into the living room and sat down next to me on the couch.

"He's asleep," he announced. "He's worried about you being all alone tonight. I assured him you would be okay and you had Alice there. I think he may have been a little scared all alone in the room."

"He's used to me being right there with him, when he sleeps."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he assured.

"I know. I'm not saying you won't be able to take care of him. He just might wake up in the middle of the night and start crying. You should be aware of that," I warned.

"Okay," he accepted. "Thank you for this. It means a lot to me, that you're letting him stay."

"Yeah."

We were quiet for a few seconds. I knew I should probably leave, but still was not quite ready to leave him.

"So, you said your sister and your mom were in town. Did they not want to meet him?" I wondered.

"They do. Believe me, they do. I just suggested right now might not be the best time. He's still getting used to me being his dad. I don't want to overwhelm him with new people. Plus, I was worried how you would take it."

"I'm trying, Edward. This is hard for me to let go. He's all I have."

"I know," he reassured, rubbing my shoulder for comfort. "I'm grateful you're giving me a chance. I know it's hard and I know it's going to continue to be hard for all of us. But I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to make this work.

"I know you hate me for what I did to you. But I truly do feel bad about it. I wanted to find you ever since the minute I found out. But I was a chicken. I wasn't sure how you would take the news. I didn't know if you would want to be a father or if you would try to do what Jake did to me. I wish I knew then what I know now."

"It's hard to hate someone, when you love them. Even when I want to hate you, and I probably have every right to hate you, I can't." My eyes shot up to his. What was he saying? He stared deep into my eyes. He made me nervous to feel what I was feeling.

I looked away and sat up on the edge of the couch. "I should go. It's getting late and I don't have any reason to be here anymore, if he's asleep." I stood to my feet and walked towards the door. "I'll call in the morning. If he needs anything during the night you can call me. I'll have my phone next to me." I really didn't think I'd sleep at all anyway.

I grabbed my stuff and reached for the doorknob. Edward put his hand out and stopped the door from opening up.

"You don't have to go," he offered. I turned around to face him. My breathing began to pick up. "I don't want you to go." He slowly raised his eyes to meet mine. I was frozen in place.

He moved closer to me and brushed his lips across mine. It was odd and almost uncomfortable. I didn't know what he was trying to do. I pulled my head away, to look at him. He stepped back, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"We can't do this, Edward. It's not right," I pleaded.

"Bella, don't tell me you didn't feel a connection to me that night. I know I did to you. I'd never felt more alive than I did when I was with you. I was devastated when I woke up and you were gone. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I searched for you, for years. I even knew about Jake being your ex-husband. To tell you the truth, I'm the one who made sure he got caught for what he was doing. I wanted him to pay for taking you away from me. If he hadn't have scared you and made you feel like you had no choice but to run, we could have been together. None of this would have happened."

"I'm not the same person I was then," I informed.

"To me, you are still the same person I fell in love with. I never got over you, Bella."

"What do you see when you look at me now?" I asked. "Because what I see is a thirty-one year old, divorced, single mom, who has nothing to offer anyone. Why would you want me? You're still young, Edward. You're not even twenty-five years old. You're extremely good looking. You could probably have anyone you want. Why would you want an old woman like me?"

"First of all, you aren't old, Bella. Second, I don't want anyone else. I haven't wanted anyone else for nearly six years. No one has ever been able to compare to you. I don't care how old or young either of us are. All I know is you are who I can't get over. And third, what I see when I look at you, is a woman who finally has something to live for and fight for. Which I admire greatly, because what she's fighting for is my son. I see a woman, who still cares about others and wants the best for them, even if sometimes what she thinks is the best, really isn't. But in her heart, she thinks she's doing the right thing. She's still the strongest and most determined person I've ever met and she keeps surprising me with how strong she truly is. She's still beautiful and will always be beautiful in my eyes, no matter how old she gets. And I want to be her king."

I was speechless. My mouth hung open in astonishment. I had relived those words a thousand times in my dreams. I couldn't believe he still remembered them after all this time.

"I love you, Bella. I want you to stay here with me. I want us to be a family; a real family. Please, Bella," he begged, cupping my face in his hands. "I can't bear loosing you again."

I looked up into his eyes and knew everything he was saying was the truth. My face was stained with tears. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me, pressing my lips to his. I kissed him hard and long. I missed kissing. I missed feeling like a woman. I missed feeling desired by a man. I missed _him_.

"Will you stay with me?" he asked, breaking the kiss and wiping my tears away. I nodded my head, but the fear of what would happen next, overwhelmed me.

He took my things out of my hand, placing them back on the chair next to the door. His fingers traced a line down my arm and took my hand in his. He led me back to his bedroom and locked the door behind us. I looked up at him nervously. He brushed the hair off my shoulder and leaned down to kiss my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling. His lips were tender against my skin. His hot breath against my neck, sent chills down my spine.

He slowly lifted my shirt over my head and unsnapped my bra, letting both fall to the ground. His hands rubbed across my back and pulled me close to him.

"Edward," I breathed as he continued to kiss my neck and shoulders. He hummed in response. "I don't know if I can do this. I haven't in almost six years."

He stopped, pulling back and looked in my eyes with concern. "It's been six years? You mean the last time… was you and I? You haven't even… you know… on your own?"

"No," I replied bashfully. "I share a room with our son. It doesn't exactly allow for things like that." He smirked and chuckled under his breath.

"I don't think it's something you forget how to do, Bella." He leaned in close to my mouth and barely touched his lips to mine. "I'll be gentle. I'll take good care of you." He kissed me fully on the lips before picking me up in his arms and carrying me to the bed. He gently laid me on the bed and removed my shoes and pants. He removed his clothes before crawling up on the bed next to me.

I was trembling with fear. I wanted this, but I was so scared of messing it up. What if I wasn't able to have sex after all this time? What if we tried to be together and things didn't work out? Where would that leave EJ?

"Edward," I cried. He sighed, falling to the side of the bed. "Are we doing the right thing? What if EJ wakes up? What if he hears us?"

"Bella, we don't have to do anything you aren't ready for. I don't want you to feel scared. You're shaking and it's making me nervous."

"I want to, Edward. I really do. I just haven't done this in a long time and I'm afraid I'm going to screw this up. I screw everything up."

He leaned up on his elbow, looking down at me. "Just be here in the morning and you won't screw anything up." I laughed lightly. He brushed the hair away from my face and looked down at me seriously. "I love you, Bella. I always have. And I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."

How could I not love him in return, after saying what he just did? I have always loved him, in my own way. It was just time to give in to my feelings for him. I leaned up on my elbow and grabbed his neck to kiss him. I brought him down on top of me and continued to kiss him. He smiled against my lips. I could feel his hands and lips all over my body, leaving trails of fire. I wanted him so badly.

He slowly inched his way between my legs, positioning himself perfectly. I wrapped my legs around him and grabbed his face with my hands. I kissed him long and hard, trying to let go of my fear and just enjoy what we were doing.

He broke the kiss suddenly and leaned over to the side of the bed. He opened the drawer and pulled out a condom.

"I think we should use one of these this time," he teased, playfully. I laughed as he opened the package and rolled it on. He fell forward over top of me and kissed me again. I felt him rub up against me and slowly begin making his way inside of me. I sucked in a shaky breath through my teeth. "Damn Bella, you're so tight. I'm going to hurt you. Maybe we shouldn't."

"No," I begged. "Please, Edward. I want to." He eased his way further in. I screamed as he slowly inched his way in. I had to cover my mouth with my hand. Again, Edward asked me if I wanted him to stop, but I shook my head no. He continued on, starting out a slow and steady pace. As soon as I got over the initial shock, I let go of my tension and tried to enjoy it. I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him down so I could kiss him. I arched my hips to feel him even deeper inside of me. My eyes rolled and I moaned loudly as the orgasm built. Edward laughed and shushed me. The only thing keeping me from screaming out in ecstasy was his lips against mine. I could hear him groaning into my mouth, as he got closer. I wanted to shout how great it felt. I'd forgotten how much I needed this. It felt like six years of built up tension was being released all at once. It was the most liberating feeling I'd ever felt. I laid there completely spent as he finished.

He rolled over on his back. We were both panting from exhaustion. Suddenly Edward began chuckling. I turned my head towards him, staring at him curiously.

"What are you laughing about?" I wondered.

"All this time, I questioned whether you were real or not. Sometimes, I wondered if I'd imagined it all." He turned to face me, brushing my cheek with his knuckles. "But this just proved to me finally, that I didn't imagine it. You are real and what we had that one night, was so much more than real. It was magic." I smiled at him and placed my hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. His hand rested against my stomach and I eased my way closer to him. We laid wrapped in each other's arms, as we fell asleep.

A few hours later, I woke up and Edward wasn't in the bed. I rubbed my eyes, trying to see where he was. I leaned over and turned on the lamp. I crawled out of the bed, throwing on Edward's t-shirt and quietly walked out into the dark hallway. I glanced in both directions and spotted him at the end of the hallway, standing in the doorway of EJ's room. I walked down the hall towards him and rubbed my hand across his back. He sucked in a long breath and turned in my direction.

"What are you doing up?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. I wanted to check on him and make sure he was okay. I got mesmerized by his breathing. It's so peaceful and innocent. I wanted to listen to him breathe and know he's real."

I wrapped my arms around his middle and leaned against his chest, looking in on EJ sleeping. "When he was a baby, I used to do the same thing. Listening to him breathe while he slept, was the most relaxing sound. I'd watch him for hours." I smiled at the memory. I looked up at Edward, who had the saddest look on his face. He almost looked like he wanted to cry.

I realized what a huge mistake I'd made. I should have kept my mouth shut. I took that experience away from him for five years. I lowered my head and loosened my grip around him. "I'm sorry."

He took in a deep breath and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, rubbing my arm. "Don't be. I want to know it all. Every memory, every experience you had with him, I want you to tell me. I don't want you to leave anything out." I nodded my head in agreement. "We should get some sleep. I imagine he'll be up in a few hours."

Edward shut the door and led us back down the hall to his room. We crawled back in bed and I rested my head against Edward's chest.

"Can I ask you something?" I wondered. He hummed in response.

"If I hadn't left that night, would you have stayed with me? Or would you have gone back to school?" I waited a few seconds for him to answer. I got the impression he was thinking it over.

He squeezed my arm gently. "I would have followed you anywhere, Bella."

"But you went back to school and finished, right?"

"Yeah, I did. You asked me to in the letter you left me. I always imagined once I finished college you would come back, somehow." He chuckled. "I was pretty naïve wasn't I?"

"So, if you finished college, then in a way, maybe what I did, by leaving you, was a good thing?" I wondered.

"I guess it depends on how you look at it," he answered. "I didn't really need college. I would have been fine without it. I might not have the career I do now, but I would have been fine as long as I got to be with you. I could have protected you from Jake. I could have given you the life you deserve. I could have been the father EJ deserved to have from the very beginning. But everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe there was a really good reason for all of this happening. I'm not sure what, but there's got to be something."

"Maybe it'll just make all of us stronger and we won't take things for granted," I theorized.

"Maybe," he replied. I didn't say anymore. I didn't want to upset him more and I was starting to think I was making things worse.

In the morning, I was curled up on the edge of the bed. I felt Edward roll over and moan in my ear. He wrapped an arm around my stomach, pulling me closer to him. "This is what I wanted to wake up to all those years ago. I want to wake up with you in my arms every day, for the rest of my life." I smiled at his words. He left small, tender kisses all along my neck and shoulders. It felt so good. I didn't want him to stop.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," EJ shouted, bursting through the door. I pulled the covers up around me. Edward pulled away from me, pulling the covers around him too.

"What's wrong, Baby?" I asked, breathlessly. I was sure my face was bright red from embarrassment.

He jumped on the bed with us. "I was scared. I couldn't find anyone. I didn't know where I was."

"It's okay, Buddy," Edward assured, rubbing his back. "Remember, you stayed over at my house last night? You got to sleep in your own room."

"Did you spend the night too, Mommy? Why are you in dad's bed?" he asked. I glanced over at Edward, nervously. He had a sheepish grin on his face.

"Why don't I get you some breakfast?" Edward suggested, changing the subject.

EJ smiled and jumped off the bed. He headed for the door, but stopped right at the entrance and turned around.

"Are you coming, Daddy?" he asked. I watched Edward's face light up with pride.

"I'll be right there," he assured. EJ left the room, skipping down the hallway.

We both let out a relieved sigh. Edward turned in my direction. "I'll take care of breakfast. You can sleep in as long as you like." He leaned in giving me a sweet kiss on the lips.

"He likes pancakes," I informed.

"Pancakes I can do," he assured, with a chuckle. I grabbed his face and kissed him again. He crawled out of bed and threw on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He left the room, closing the door behind him. After a few minutes, I could hear them laughing and making a lot of noise, as they made pancakes together. The sounds of them spending time together, made me smile. Edward had only known EJ for a few weeks and already I could see just how wonderful of a father he is. I should have given him the chance to be a father. It was time for me to give that back to him and let him be who he was meant to be.

I got out of bed and put on my clothes from yesterday. I walked out into the kitchen and saw Edward standing over the stove cooking, while EJ sat at the bar eating a plate full of pancakes.

"You were supposed to be sleeping in," Edward reminded, once he noticed me come in the kitchen.

I walked straight over to him, without hesitation and wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned up on my tippy toes and kissed him hard and full.

"What was that for?" he asked when the kiss broke.

"I love you," I admitted, sincerely. "And if you still want us to move in here with you, I'd really like to."

His lips grew into a wide smile. He wrapped his arms around me, picking me up and swinging me around, excitedly. I giggled at his excitement.

"This is the best day of my life," he expressed. "I love you, so much, Bella. I promise I'll always love you and take care of both you and EJ."

"I know you will," I assured.

"Did you hear that, EJ?" Edward asked. "You and your mom are going to live here permanently. Now, we can always be together." Edward walked over to EJ and picked him up off the stool and swung him around too. EJ was squealing with joy. I couldn't help but giggle at both of them. They were both going to benefit from this.

Later in the week we moved all of our stuff into the house with Edward. We'd been there every night since I agreed to live with him, and each day it seemed as if Edward's and my relationship only got stronger, which, in return, made EJ and Edward's, relationship stronger. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly.

Alice was sad to see us go, but she knew it was for the best and was happy for all of us. We got together as much as we could and she constantly reminded me how I've never looked happier. I was happy. I know Edwards' and my relationship wasn't perfect. He still had a lot of resentment towards me and I carried a ton of guilt on my shoulders. But we were working on it and trying to get past all that happened and focused on making things right, for EJ's sake.

Edward had successfully started up his engineer business and was beginning to pull in a lot of work. He still made a point to be there for EJ every day after school, until I got off and to be there for him at bedtime. It became their nightly ritual to read a book together. Sometimes I'd join in and listen to the story being told. But most nights, I let them have that time. I'd had that time with EJ since he was born and I needed to let Edward have it too.

I hid my moving in with Edward from my mother as long as I could. I just had a really bad feeling she wouldn't be thrilled with my decision. Unfortunately, EJ let it slip one day, while he visited them, how we had moved in with his dad. My mom was concerned at first. She assumed Edward was some random guy I had met and moved in with suddenly. She thought I was taking things too fast and would only end up hurting EJ in the long run, especially since he was calling him dad already.

Once I sat my mom down and explained everything to her, she was a little more relaxed about what we did, but she still wanted to meet him and give him her approval.

She invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. Edward was so nervous meeting them. I had told him what my mom was like and how she can be a little hard to read at times. Although for Edward, it was easy. He knew exactly what to say and how to behave to get her to like him. Phil really liked him too and we stayed an extra two hours longer than we had planned, so they could talk football.

I walked into the kitchen to help my mom with the dishes while they talked.

"So, what do you think?" I asked. "Are you still concerned for me and EJ's wellbeing?"

"Oh, Bella," she gasped. "He's exactly what I always wanted for you. I thought Jake was going to good for you and he'd love you the way you deserved to be loved. But Edward's love for you can't even compare to what I saw from Jake. I can see how much he loves you and EJ. I can see how perfect the two of you are for each other."

"You aren't concerned about him being younger than me?" I asked.

"Bella, have you looked at Phil?" She asked sarcastically. "He's quite a bit younger than me. There's a bigger age difference between me and Phil than there is between you and Edward. Age doesn't mean anything when it comes to matters of the heart. I can see how much you love him. And I truly couldn't be happier for you." I let out a relieved sigh and hugged her. I was glad my mom like him and was so accepting of my relationship with him.

Everything was going as perfectly as it possibly could. Until Edward dropped a bomb, and told me he'd invited his family down for Christmas. I almost broke a plate when he told me. I still hadn't met any of his family. I was so scared of what they may think of me. What if they didn't like me or want Edward to be with me, because I was older than him? It was always something I thought about in the back of my mind. I always worried what people would think when they saw us together. I was sure it was so obvious when people looked at us. It never seemed to bother Edward, though. He didn't care about the age difference and never seemed to even notice there was one.

I was in the kitchen, on Christmas Eve, preparing the dinner. Edward was supposed to pick up his family from the airport in about an hour. I was a ball of nerves. I couldn't stop shaking. My stomach was queasy. I felt like any minute I was going to puke or pass-out.

I was busy putting a pie together, when I suddenly smelled smoke. I turned around and saw smoke rising from the oven. I rushed over, remembering the cookies I put in, before I started working on the pie. I opened the oven door and saw black, crumpled up sugar cookies on the tray.

"Damn it," I shouted. I was so mad at myself for burning them. Now not only did the house smell like smoke, but I was going to have to start all over.

I could hear Edward chuckling at the entrance of the kitchen. I turned around and glared at him. I turned back to the cookies and scraped them into the sink. Edward walked over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked, against my skin.

"You're family is going to hate me. Their son moved across the country to be with the girl who kept their grandchild and nephew away from them."

"They aren't going to hate you, Bella. I promise. They'll love you, because I love you. And they're going to adore EJ. I can't even tell you how excited they are to meet both of you."

I sighed, not really buying his reassurance.

He kissed my cheek and let go of me. "Do you need any help, before I have to go get them?" he asked.

"I need to make up another batch of sugar cookies. EJ needs something to decorate. It's tradition."

"Point me to the recipe and I'll make it happen." He rolled up his sleeves and went to the sink to wash his hands.

He helped me in the kitchen for the rest of the day, before he had to go to the airport. When he left, I rushed around the house, making sure everything was in order. I had a prime rib roast in the oven. There was steamed red potatoes with butter and chives, a green bean casserole, along with homemade macaroni and cheese and dinner rolls. I'd also made an apple pie and Edward made the sugar cookies. I had a red wine chilling in the freezer. I just hoped none of them were vegetarian. I hadn't really thought to ask Edward. Although, he did know what I was making and he didn't say anything about it being wrong.

I peaked in on EJ who was playing with his Legos. I quickly ran to the bathroom to take a shower and freshen up.

Not only was Edward's family coming tonight, but I'd also invited my Mom and Phil, as well as Alice and Jasper. They weren't supposed to get here until later tonight for dinner though. I had to meet his family alone.

After my shower, I dressed in a dark blue, spaghetti strap, short dress, with a flower pattern at the bottom in black beading. I clipped up the sides of my hair, to keep it out of my face and let the rest hang down my back. I put on a touch of mascara and lip gloss, calling it good. I walked back out and checked in on EJ one more time. I told him our guests were going to be here in just a few minutes, so he needed to pick up his toys. I could tell he was nervous too. Probably my nervousness was making him have those same feelings too.

"Mommy," he began, climbing up on the stool in the kitchen. "Are they going to like me?"

"Why wouldn't like you, Baby? Everyone likes you," I responded. "You don't need to worry about it, okay. Your dad has told them all about you and they can't wait to meet you. I'm sure they're going to be so excited to play with you." He smiled, accepting my answer. I knew they would love him. Everyone always loved him. On the other hand, I might be a different story. I had a really bad feeling about all of this. I worried they were going to be mad at me, as much as Edward was when he first found out. They have known since Edward found out and had time to adjust to it, but I still have never talked to any of them and I'm sure they had things they'd like to say to me.

I patted EJ's arm and smiled at him reassuringly.

"Bella," Edward called. I felt my stomach turn. I knew I was probably as white as a ghost.

I looked down at EJ, who had somehow jumped off the stool and ran over to me, hiding behind my leg.

"It's going to be okay," I reassured. I rubbed his back and led him out into the living room. We reached the living room just as everyone was walking in. Edward had the biggest grin on his face, as he walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Bella, this is my mom, Esme." He pointed to the woman with long chestnut colored hair. She was petite and had a heart shaped face with a pleasant smile. "And that's my dad, Carlisle." I turned to the man standing next to Esme. He was tall and very handsome. His hair was bright blonde and he had piercing blue eyes. "And that is my sister, Rosalie and her husband, Emmett." I looked to the other couple standing in our doorway. Rosalie was gorgeous. I'd never seen anyone as beautiful as she was. She had long wavy blonde hair with the same shape face as Esme. Her eyes were bright blue with a hint of almost violet. Emmett was tall and well built. He had dark hair with a slight curl to it. His eyes were dark and when he smiled, he had a single dimple on his cheek.

"Everyone this is Bella and EJ," Edward introduced.

"It's nice to finally meet all of you," I greeted. I was trying really hard to speak without my voice shaking, but I failed.

"Oh," Esme gasped. She walked across the room and wrapped me in her arms. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Bella. I've been waiting for this day for so long." She sort of shocked me with her excitement. She pulled away, holding me at arm's length and looking me over. "Edward described you perfectly. I can see why he loves you so." I glanced up at Edward, who had a bashful smile on his face.

"And you, mister EJ," she said, leaning down to his level. He cowered behind my skirt a little more. "I've been so excited to meet my only grandson. I hope you like presents, because your grandpa and I brought you tons of gifts for Christmas. Maybe we can let you open one up tonight, before you go to bed." EJ inched his way out from around me and smiled. "Could I have a hug?" He looked up at me, making sure it was okay. I smiled and nodded my head. He came out from behind me and put his hands out to her. She hugged him tightly and rubbed his head. I could see tears of joy forming in her eyes.

Carlisle walked over to them and looked him over. "He looks exactly like you, Son," Carlisle observed.

"I know he does. You'll be shocked at how many similarities there are between us, after you spend some time with him," Edward revealed.

"Something sure smells good," Emmett announced. "What are you cooking, Bella?"

"It's a prime rib roast."

"Mmm," he expressed, rubbing his belly. "When do we eat?"

Rose slapped his arm. "Emmett, can't you ever think of anything but your stomach? We're in the middle of an emotional and heartfelt moment. Don't you even want to meet your nephew?"

"Ah, Rose, I do. But I'm starving. It was a long flight," he complained. I giggled at his statement. Edward rubbed my back and laughed lightly, himself.

The afternoon went rather well. Edward showed them to their rooms and let them get their stuff put away. When they were done they all gathered in the living room and talked amongst themselves and watched EJ play. Esme couldn't stay away from EJ. She sat on the floor and played his game with him. She had a permanent smile on her face.

I busied myself in the kitchen, preparing the dinner. There wasn't a lot I needed to do, but I felt like I needed to stay away and give them time alone.

After a while, Alice and Jasper showed up, making things a little easier on me. It was nice having a familiar face in the house. My mom and Phil showed up right before we were to begin eating.

Everyone sat down at the table and chatted pleasantly. It all seemed to be going really well. I was surprised how nice everyone was being and how well they seemed to be getting along. Throughout the dinner, Edward would periodically rub my back or massage my shoulder. I'd pat his knee just so he knew I was okay. I knew he was worried about me being nervous. I was nervous and most likely everyone could tell, since I hadn't eaten much or said a lot during the conversations.

After dinner everyone congregated in the living room again. They all expressed how wonderful the food was. I was so thankful it all turned out nice. The burnt cookies from this morning, made me worry about the rest of the meal.

I carried out a platter of cookies and the bags with the decorating icing for EJ to decorate at the coffee table. Emmett and Edward kneeled down on the floor to decorate cookies with him. After a while, even Alice and Jasper joined in on decorating the cookies.

I went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. I was just about done, loading the dishwasher and washing down the counters when Esme walked in.

"You made a wonderful dinner, Bella," she expressed.

"Thank you. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it."

"I just wanted to tell you how happy I am to see you and Edward together taking care of EJ. I've never seen Edward so happy."

"I was worried you wouldn't like me because of what I did and because I'm quite a bit older than Edward."

"Oh, honey," she expressed. "Age doesn't mean anything when it comes to matters of the heart." It was funny how my mom and Esme were alike. My mom had said the exact same thing to me only a month ago. "I know how much he loves you. He's always loved you. It took us a long time to get through to him. He was really messed up when he came back home. He went back to school and completely lost himself there. He very rarely talked to anyone or did anything. He's been gone emotionally for a long time.

"Then out of the blue he calls us up and tells us he found you and he has a son. For the first time in a long time, he was back. He was happy and exuberant again. If you make him happy, then I don't care how old you are. He obviously doesn't care about your age difference. As for what happened in the past, I think you're both getting over and dealing with what happened and moving forward. I respect that. I think you both are doing a really great thing, and I'm happy for both of you." She smiled, hugging me tightly. I had tears in my eyes from her words. I had no idea she would be so understanding and welcoming.

"Come on. I'd like you to join us in the living room. We have some gifts for EJ and we'd like you to be there when he opens them." She put her arm through mine and guided me out to the living room. Edward smiled when he saw me walking out with his mom. I walked over to him and sat down on the chair next to him.

He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

I smiled and nodded my head. "Everything is perfect."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. I'm hoping to make things even more perfect here in a few minutes."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused by what he said.

"Alright EJ," Esme interrupted. "I think it's time for some presents, don't you?" EJ jumped up and down. "Edward, could you come help me carry some things from the bedroom?" He got up and followed her back to the bedroom. A few minutes later they both came out, carrying an arm load of presents. EJ's eyes were huge with excitement.

Esme passed presents around the room for each person. She even had something for my mom and Phil, as well as Alice and Jasper, even though she didn't know them until today. Edward handed me a medium sized square box and sat down on the arm of the chair next to me.

"So, back home we always open one gift on Christmas Eve," Esme explained. "We each take turns opening our gift, while everyone else watches. If it's okay with you, Bella, I'd like to continue that tradition here."

"Of course," I agreed. "It sounds like a great idea."

EJ went first and got a brand new train set. It was huge and he wanted to put it together immediately. Edward said he needed to wait until everyone was done. He was upset about it, but he listened. Each and every person took their turn opening a gift from Esme and Carlisle.

I was the last to go. I didn't like being the center of attention and I sort of hoped maybe they'd forget about me and I could just open the present later on when no one was watching. However, Edward made sure to remind me to open it, while everyone watched. I was sure I was as red as a tomato, while everyone stared at me.

I carefully ripped off the wrapping and opened up the box, only to find another, smaller box inside. I looked up, confused by what I saw.

"Just keep opening them," Edward demanded. I smiled, and took the next box out. I un-wrapped the next box, and, again saw another box inside. Emmett laughed, boisterously. I was so embarrassed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Keep going. You'll get to the gift eventually," Edward urged.

"Can I help, Mommy?" EJ asked.

"Sure," I accepted. He came over and helped me take off the next layer of wrapping. EJ laughed when he saw another box inside.

"Okay EJ, your mom needs to open this box on her own," Edward ordered. EJ sat down next to me, watching the box with amazement. I think he wanted to know what was inside more than I did.

Once again, I ripped off the wrapping and opened the lid to the box, seeing a small black jewelry box inside. I gasped when I saw it. My hand instantly came up to my mouth, covering it to cover my sobs. I couldn't take my eyes off the box. I hadn't even opened it yet and I was already crying. I slowly opened up the box and saw a beautiful diamond ring inside. It was a square cut diamond with an antiqued band. There were small inset diamonds all along the edge of the band as well. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I was afraid to touch it.

"Bella," Edward began, getting my attention. I looked up, noticing through my blurred vision he was kneeled in front of me. He took the box from my hand and pulled the ring out. I was shaking so hard. "I know we've been through a lot in the past few months. But I know I'm never going to love anyone as much as I love you. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

I couldn't talk. Tears were streaming down my face. All I could do was nod my head. He smiled, taking my shaky hand in his and slipped the ring on my finger. I let out a long, cleansing breath. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. I had forgotten there were people watching us, until I heard everyone clapping and cheering. Edward didn't seem to notice them either. He looked me deep in the eyes and wiped the tears off my cheeks. "I love you, Bella. I always will." He kissed me on the lips and held me close to him.

"I love you, too," I cried.

Everyone was overjoyed with our engagement. My mom and Alice were already talking wedding plans. Edward explained that the ring was his great grandmothers and his mom was holding on to it for him, until he found the right girl to marry. She had the idea of wrapping it up in numerous boxes, just to throw me off and make it more exciting.

I think for the rest of the night I continued to shake. I couldn't believe he'd asked me to marry him. We had never really talked about getting married. We were, for the most part, comfortable with the way we were now. We already lived like a family. But Edward said he wanted it to be official and complete.

That night, while we lied in bed together, I kept staring up at the ring. I loved the way it felt on my finger. I loved how it caught the light and sparkled.

"This is the best day of my life," I expressed.

He held me close to him and smiled. "This is definitely one of my best days too."

"Just one?" I teased. "How many best days do you have?"

"I'll tell you someday."

I scoffed, slapping him playfully on the chest. "Someday?"

He laughed. "Yes, someday." I sighed, perturbed by his response. "On our wedding day, I'll tell you what they are. I promise."

"I'm holding you to that," I warned.

He chuckled, pulling me closer to him. We didn't say anything more on the subject. I was curious, but I didn't want to push him into telling me anything.

The following months were spent planning for the wedding. I didn't want anything big. I wanted it to be simple and elegant. I didn't want a lot of guests or too much frills. To me this was my first and only true wedding, but I still didn't want it to be extravagant. The only people, who mattered, were Edward, EJ, and me. Those were the only ones who truly needed to be there.

On the morning of August thirteenth, I was awoken by Alice. She was in charge of getting me ready for the wedding. I took a shower and wrapped up in a bathrobe. Alice worked on my hair and make-up. When she was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. She had pulled my hair back along the sides, pinning it up in loose curls. She pinned two orchids along one side of my head. The make-up was sheer and highlighted my natural tones. I was amazed at how she transformed me. She truly was an artist, even at makeup and hair, she did amazing work.

"Thank you, Alice," I expressed, with tears in my eyes.

"No crying, Bella. I don't want you ruining what I just did." I took a deep breath, and waved my face with my hands, to prevent from crying.

She helped me slip on my dress, which was a soft chiffon, ivory, gown, with rhinestone spaghetti straps. It was slim and elegant with a light drape cutaway at the front, making it flow. I didn't want a big ballroom gown, especially since we were having a beach wedding. I put on my flip flops, just for the drive to the beach. I was planning on going barefoot once we got there.

Alice handed me my orchid bouquet and we walked out to the car. I called Edward, just to check in on how things were going. He said he was ready and so was EJ. They were waiting down on the beach and greeting all the guests.

Edward and I had rented a beach house to have the reception in and in the back on the beach was where we would get married. Everything still seemed so surreal. How did I get so lucky to go from nothing, to having everything I could have ever dreamed of? I had the most wonderful and forgiving man, who loved me despite everything I'd put him through and I had the most beautiful little boy. Everything was perfect.

Esme and Rosalie met us in the front of the house, beaming with joy when they saw me get out of the car. They both gave me hugs and congratulated me. I loved Edward's family. All of them were so kind and accepting of me into the family. It felt good to have them in my life.

"Rose, I wanted to tell you something. I should have told you a long time ago," I explained.

"What, Bella."

"I wanted to tell you, thank you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have left my ex-husband and I would have never met Edward."

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused by what I said.

"The night before I left my husband, I called Dr. Rose and she told me I needed to leave my husband. At first, I didn't think I could go through with it. But you gave me the courage to do it, and the next night I left and that's when I met Edward."

She stared at me, with bulging eyes. "He told you I was Dr. Rose?" she asked. "I'm going to kill him. He knows better than to tell anyone. Who else knows? Who have you told?"

I laughed. "Rose, I've never told anyone. And I won't, either. I just wanted you to know how thankful I am, you took my call that night. I'm sure you don't even remember the call. I just wanted you to know, even though you aren't a real doctor, you gave me the greatest advice anyone could have possibly given me."

She smiled, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "I'm so glad you're joining this family. I was hesitant of the idea at first. But I know my brother loves you and I can't imagine anyone else better for him. And to know I had a little part in you two meeting, makes it even sweeter."

We both giggled at the thought as we walked up the steps to the house. Within minutes, I was walking out to the beach to marry the man of my dreams. It was a perfect day. There was a cool breeze blowing and the sun was in a perfect position so it didn't blind any of our guests. I looked out into the crowd, who were all seated in white chairs lined up along the beach. I spotted Edward at the end of the aisle with EJ in his arms. I imagined EJ couldn't see, so Edward picked him up so he could. I walked down the aisle of white and blush rose petals, meeting Edward and EJ at the end.

Edward couldn't take his eyes off of me. His face was glowing and he kept smiling, even when he was trying to be serious when saying his vows.

"Isabella Swan, do you take Edward to be you husband, from this day forward?" the officiate asked.

"I do," I whispered. I had every intention of saying it louder, but it came out as nothing more than a whisper.

"Edward Cullen, do you take Isabella to be your wife, from this day forward?"

"I absolutely do," he boisterously answered. All of our family and friends, laughed.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Edward turned his head toward the officiate, waiting for him to say the next words. The officiate chuckled. "You may now kiss your bride." Edward turned back to me. He took my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. For some reason, this kiss seemed magical. It was the beginning of something amazing and something real. It was home.

At the reception, everyone congratulated us and told us how cute we were and how happy they were for us. It was basically the same thing over and over. All I really wanted was to be alone with Edward and EJ.

Finally, our photographer took us away for some photos. We walked back out on the beach and took a few shots of just me and Edward, then some of me and EJ. He took some adorable pictures of EJ with Edward. And finally he took some of all three of us together. Those were the best ones in my opinion. EJ, of course, hammed it up for camera. He even had our photographer laughing.

After he was done, we stayed on the beach for a little while longer, letting EJ play in the water.

"This is the best day of my life," I expressed.

"I think I've heard you say that a few times," he teased.

"I probably have. But I do remember someone telling me he was going to tell me his favorite days today," I reminded.

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, Mr. Cullen. So, spill it," I ordered.

"Well, I have five best days, which are all equally important. The first, being the day I met you. The second was the first day I spent with EJ and he called me dad. The third was the day you agreed to move in with me and you said you loved me. The forth, of course, was the day you agreed to marry me. And the number one best day of my entire life, is this day right here. The day you became my wife and I got everything I always wanted. I have the most beautiful woman in the entire world and I have my son. What more could I ever ask for?"

I smiled, and stood up on my tippy-toes to give him a kiss. "I bet I could make this day even better," I challenged.

"I doubt that. Why try to add more when this day has already been perfect?" he countered.

"I think I could."

He laughed. "Okay, Mrs. Cullen, how are you going to make this day even better?"

I smiled, and raised my eyebrow at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down so my lips were at his ear. "I'm pregnant," I whispered.

He pulled away suddenly, staring at me with wide eyes. His lips slowly raised into a pleasing smile. He chuckled, picking me up in his arms and swinging me around.

"Really," he asked, breathlessly. "We're going to have another baby?" I nodded my head excitedly.

He cupped my face with his hands. "I love you, so much, Bella."

"I love you, too." He slowly leaned in and kissed my lips.

"Mom, Dad, come see what I can do," EJ called. We broke the kiss and looked out onto the beach to watch EJ doing cartwheels in the sand.

It was the ending of a perfect day, and just the beginning of a perfect life together.

**The End**

**As I said at the beginning of this story I wrote this for cherieblossum. She's recently began writing a multi-chapter story of her own called 1 800 Sparkle Stick. It's one of the funniest stories I've ever read. I just wanted to give her a shout-out so if anyone is interested in reading her story they can look it up. Check it out!**


	3. EPOV

**The Best Day-EPOV****  
By: earthprincess4**

**Written for FGB: Autism Awareness. **

**This takes place after Bella leaves Edward at the hotel. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight related. No copyright infringement intended.**

**EPOV**

I smiled as I came out of my sleep state, feeling exuberant and well rested. I hadn't felt that way in so long. I don't even know how it happened, but I had this amazing woman lying next to me who changed my life in one night. Or so I thought.

I rolled over on the bed reaching out for her and all my hands found were cold sheets. She was gone. I jumped up, scanning the room for her and finding nothing. I ran to the bathroom only to find all her belongings gone. It was like she wasn't even here. Did she really exist? I hadn't imagined her, had I?

I plopped down on the bed and my head fell into my hands. What did I do wrong? Why did she leave me with no explanation?

The more I sat there and thought about it, the more I felt like a complete idiot. What was she ever going to see in me? Did I expect she would want be with me; a kid who can't even hack it at college, who ran away from home because he got in a childish argument with his parents.

God, I'm so stupid. She probably looks at me like I'm a child.

It's strange how without her I suddenly feel so lost. I don't even know what to do or where you go?

I slowly put my clothes on, and gather up my few belongings. I stand in the doorway one last time scanning the room for any sign on her just to prove she was actually real. I almost missed it, but just as I was shutting the door I noticed a small hotel envelope sitting on the desk.

I pushed the door open and quickly grabbed the envelope. I ripped it open and found a hundred dollar bill wrapped in a piece of paper. I drop the money to the ground, only interested in the letter. Maybe she went somewhere and wanted me to meet her. I didn't know but I had to read that letter just for my own sanity to know she was real.

I held the letter out in front of me and began to read it with a new sense of hope filling me.

_Dear Edward,_

_First off, I want to apologize for leaving this way, but I think it's for the best. I had an amazing time getting to know you and spending the night with you. You made me feel alive again, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time. You gave me the courage to go on. You gave me the strength to fight. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being who you are. I'll never regret offering you a ride. It was probably one of the smartest things I've ever done._

_But unfortunately, I can't risk the possibility something horrible happening to you because of what we did. It's for the best that I left._

_As for you, I really think you need to go back to school. I don't want to tell you what to do or make you feel like I'm trying to be your parent, but I always dreamed of going to school and I didn't get the chance. I always wanted to get out of Forks, but I got stuck there. I'm finally taking a chance and getting out. I wish you would do the same. I want you to better yourself and become something great, because I know you have the potential to do amazing things in life. I don't want you to end up the way I did._

_You are a very strong and intelligent person and I know you can make it through college. I have faith in your abilities. Maybe you aren't cut out to be a doctor. Maybe you will end up doing something even better. But I know you have more to offer this world. Just please, for me, don't give up and get stuck in Forks. You deserve better. You deserve so much more from life than to give up now._

_Whatever you decide to do, I'm leaving you a hundred dollars to help you out. I don't want you to starve or hitchhike anymore. Get a bus ticket, if you can. I wish I could leave you more, but I hope this helps. I'll never forget you. I hope you have a wonderful life._

_Goodbye,_

_Bella_

I almost passed out after reading it. I could feel the blood running out of me. I dropped the letter at my side and stood there with my mouth hanging open. She did leave me and I had no idea where to find her.

Sighing, I pick up the letter and the hundred dollar bill before leaving the room. I went to the front desk to find out if they could tell me when Bella left and if they knew where she was going. The man at the desk informed me she hadn't spoken to him but he did happen to see a woman fitting her description leave about two hours earlier.

Knowing she left two hours ago gave me no hope. I didn't know where she was headed or even where I was headed.

In the letter she told me to get a bus ticket so I figured I would do as she asked. I got directions to the bus station and walked the few blocks into town until I reached it. Walking through the parking lot, I thought I spotted her car. I dropped my stuff and ran over to it. I peaked inside and knew it was her car but all her stuff was gone. I ran back over to my own bag and ran into the building asking anyone I came in contact if they had seen her. I got the same response every time. They didn't see anyone fitting the description of who I was looking for. It was almost like she was a ghost and I was the only one who could ever see her.

I searched the building for hours and never came across a thing. Feeling defeated, I plopped down on a bench and put my head between my legs. What had I done?

"Are you okay, Sir?" a woman asked while sitting down next to me. I sat up and glanced over at her. For a split second the dark brown, cascading hair around her face made me think it was Bella. However, on second glance, I came to reality and realized it wasn't her.

"I'm fine," I sighed, exasperated.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine."

"I'm sure. I just need to figure out where I'm going."

"I've seen you wandering around here all afternoon. You look like a lost puppy," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Thanks," I responded sarcastically.

"I get off work in a couple hours. If you're still around maybe I can give you a ride somewhere or we could just hang out," she offered.

I turned my head towards her noticing the expectant smile across her face. "I'm pretty sure I'll be gone by then. Thanks anyway, though."

Her smile dropped and she gave me a puzzled look. "Well, the offers there if you want it," she reminded before standing to her feet and walking away. For some reason, my eyes followed her to the snack stand where she obviously worked. Maybe I should take her up on the offer. It's not like I had anywhere else to go. She wasn't bad looking or offensive in any way. The thing that got me though, was knowing she had a child. She never told me she did, but I could tell by the way she carried herself and the way she spoke her words. There was a look on her face of being tired and stressed. She was easy to read. She was young, probably about the same age as me but she made a mistake and ended up getting pregnant as a teenager. Her parents kicked her out and now she works two jobs just to survive since the deadbeat dad wasn't in the picture. She obviously saw me as someone she might be able to hook up with for a one night stand for sexual gratification. As tempting as it might sound to any other eighteen year old, I was a little repulsed by it.

I had to get out of here. I walked over to the ticket stand and bought a ticket back to Washington. I boarded the bus a half hour later and headed home. I had nowhere else to go.

During the bus ride home, I kept having images of Bella's face, and her smile. I could see her eyes twinkling like stars in the night. I could hear her soft, musical laugh. If I closed my eyes the image was even brighter.

Nearly being run over by her was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was running just like me. It didn't take long for me to figure out what she was running from. As we drove along and the more I talked to her, I knew she was running from an abusive husband. I didn't know how serious she was about leaving him until we were in the diner. Before then, I could still here the doubt in her voice. She was still contemplating going back when she picked me up. However, I watched her walk across the road to the pawn shop when I got into the diner and knew she was going to do it. The prominent wedding ring on her finger had suddenly disappeared and she was offering to buy me dinner. Inside, I was a little proud. I thought maybe I might have had a little something to do with giving her the courage to do it.

I never saw her leaving me though. The night we shared was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I hadn't had many sexual partners in my short lifetime but with her, it was like fireworks going off all around me. She was the most amazing woman I'd ever met and quite possibly ever will. Yet now, she's gone and I have no way to find her.

After the bus pulled up in front of the small station in Port Angeles, I headed out on the road. It was already dark and probably a little dangerous to be walking along the highway this late at night, but I wasn't about to call my parents. I was kind of hoping I could just slip inside undetected and deal with the aftermath of what I'd done in the morning.

After walking along the highway in the cold of night I arrived at my parent's home. The lights were off and the curtains were closed. I got the impression they really didn't care that I was gone for two days. They went on with their life while I was God knows where.

I pulled the hidden key out from under the planter on the doorstep and opened the door as quietly as possible. I slipped in and walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. I hadn't eaten anything all day and I was starving. I flipped the light on, only to be met by my dad.

He stared at me like he was expecting me to walk in. My shoulders dropped in defeat. I knew I was in for a long lecture and an "I told you so" moment.

"Where've you been?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered vaguely.

"Your mother has been worried about you. She didn't sleep at all last night," he informed.

I barely acknowledged him with a grunt before walking to the fridge and taking out stuff to make a sandwich.

"I've been worried too," he admitted with barely a whisper.

"There's nothing to be worried about. I'm not a little kid anymore. I know how to take care of myself," I shot back.

"I'm just saying I was worried. You didn't have any money or a car. It's freezing outside and it's been raining quite a bit. I hated the fact that you were out there in the cold all by yourself."

"Well whose fault was that?" I accused while I fixed a sandwich and refused to look at him.

He sighed and dropped his head in shame. "Edward, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up at you. I just don't want you to give up your life when you have so much potential. Being a doctor has always been your dream."

"No, Dad, it's been your dream. Ever since I was a kid you've talked about having this father and son clinic here in Forks. It's what was drilled into my head and what I thought was expected of me. For once, I'd like to make a decision for myself."

"I don't want you to throw your life away. You can do so much better than a crummy part time job here in Forks. I want you to finish college whether you become a doctor or not."

I rolled my eyes and started eating my sandwich. In that moment, the letter Bella left me came to mind.

She told me to go to school. She told me to do something great. She said just about the same thing my dad did.

"Look, I'm not planning to stay here long. I just had nowhere else to go, and I…"

"Edward!" my mom shouted, interrupting me. I turned around to see her flying down the stairs and colliding into me. "Where have you been? I've been so worried about you."

"I was with a friend," I answered vaguely.

"Your father kept insisting you had gone back to the campus. I couldn't know for sure since he took everything from you." I distinctly saw her glare over at my dad. "I had no way of reaching you." She gasped, holding me out at arm's length. "I was so worried you were going to starve or be stranded in the rain somewhere."

"No need to worry, Mom. Who I was with took real good care of me."

"Oh?" she asked skeptically. "Who were you with?"

I smiled crookedly remembering how I compared her to my mom. "You would have loved her mom. She was kind and caring. She was amazing."

"Amazing, huh?" my dad cut in with a smirk. "Who is she? Does she live in the area?"

For a moment I thought about telling him the truth but then I remembered she was trying to get away. I couldn't tell either of them who she was. Forks was a small town and there's no way of keeping anything secret. She would have to remain my secret. This would be my thank you to her for being there for me when I needed someone.

"No, she doesn't," I lied.

"Are you planning to see her again?" my mom asked enthusiastically.

"I don't know. Like I was telling dad I'm just here for the night. Tomorrow I'll try to figure out how to get back to the campus."

"Are you going back to school?" my dad asked.

"For now I guess," I shrugged, answering his question.

"Good, I'm glad."

I grabbed a soda from the fridge and the rest of my sandwich before heading out of the kitchen. "Just so you know it has nothing to do with you or taking my stuff away. Going back to school is for me." I took the stairs by two and went to my childhood bedroom. There wasn't a lot left in my room other than a bed and a few boxes of my old stuff but at least it was a place to sleep. I'd figure out how to get back to school tomorrow.

I had decided that if Bella wanted me to make something of myself then I would. I would work my ass off to get through college. Maybe if I did what she wanted in some way she'd come back. I just wanted to see her one last time to know she was actually real and not a figment of my imagination.

The next morning my dad left my keys, phone, and credit cards on the counter in the kitchen. I knew it was his way of saying he won and I was almost tempted to leave it all behind to prove a point, but I would never make it without a car and money. They were necessities if I was going to make it.

I roughly grabbed them off the counter and shoved them in my pocket to head back to campus. I was determined to do this and do it right.

I didn't go back home again until Christmas about a month and half later. I was avoiding my entire family. I didn't really want to see any of them and listen to their snide remarks about how they were right and I was wrong. I wasn't going to school for them. I was doing it for Bella.

I had got home in the early afternoon of Christmas Eve. My mom was already in the kitchen cooking up this huge feast that wouldn't be eaten. She was humming a tune as she stirred whatever it was she had on the stove. My dad was whistling happily while he got a fire going in the fireplace.

"You're home!" my mom exclaimed excitedly. She ran to me and wrapped her arms around me like she normally did. "How was your drive? Is school going okay? Have you been dating anyone?"

"The drive was fine, Mom." I answered her first question but avoided the others. I stepped around her and headed for the stairs. "I'm going to unpack. I'll be down later."

I went to my old bedroom and unpacked before taking a long shower. I was avoiding going downstairs to join my parents in Christmas joy. I really wasn't in the mood to be joyful. When I got out of the shower and changed my clothes, I could hear my mom and dad laughing and talking loudly with my sister. I could hear Rosalie's exuberant voice floating up the stairs, making me roll my eyes.

My sister, Rose was bringing home some new guy she was dating. I hated when she brought random guys home with her. We had to pretend like her "career" didn't exist. No one was ever allowed to know she was Doctor Rose on the Seattle radio station. We had to pretend she worked as a paralegal for a law firm. Like that was any better of a lie. She didn't know the first thing about law.

Dragging myself out of the room I headed downstairs to pretend I was happy and excited about it being Christmas.

"There's my little brother," Rosalie squealed. She ran across the room to give me a hug just as I hit the bottom steps. "How are you, Edward? How's school going?"

"I'm fine," I answered unenthusiastically.

"Come," she urged dragging me across the room. "I want you to meet Emmett."

I walked over to the main entrance and met with a large man standing at least a foot above me with bulging muscles and dark curly hair. He smiled when I shook his hand and I noticed a dimple in his left cheek.

"It's good to finally meet you," he greeted. "Rose has told me so much about you."

"I'm sure she has," I replied sarcastically.

"What's with you?" Rose wondered angrily.

"Nothing."

"Dinner is just about done," my mom interrupted. "Why don't we go into the dining room and take our seats. My mom obviously saw the tension between me and Rose so she intervened at the right moment. Rose was not exactly known to back down during an argument, which is what made her gig on the radio great. She didn't let people bully her on air when they tried to tell her she was full of shit.

We all took our seats around the table and began to eat. The conversation led towards Rose and Emmett most of the night, which was fine with me. I would rather stay silent and not be a part of the festivities. I barely ate a thing on my plate. Lately, I haven't been very hungry. I don't sleep very well either. At first, I thought it was because I missed Bella, but I barely knew her. I wasn't so obsessed with the woman that she was changing my entire mood and outlook on life. It just didn't seem possible. I came to the conclusion I was just stressed about school and I really didn't want to be there. I hated school. I didn't want to be there.

"Are you okay, Edward?" my mom asked bringing me back to reality. Everyone around the table was staring at me, waiting for an answer.

"I think I'm just tired," I lied, getting up from the table. I walked outside and sat down on the deck staring out at the trees in the back of our house.

"It's a girl isn't it?" Emmett said coming up behind me. "I'd know that look and attitude from anywhere. Sadly, I've experienced it a few times myself." He sat down next to me not waiting for an invitation and stared out at the trees.

"It's not a girl. It's just stress from school," I countered.

"Keep telling yourself that," he laughed. "You can try to cover it up anyway you want, it doesn't change anything."

"What makes you think it's a girl?" I asked.

"When I was your age, I thought I was in love with this girl and I did everything to make her love me back but she didn't. I was a fool and fell into her trap."

"What happened?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Well, I found out she wasn't who I thought she was and she pretty much broke my heart. I acted just like you are right now for about six months. Then, I came to my senses and realized I wasn't going to let some girl ruin my life. I started going out with friends and working out regularly again. Eventually, I forgot all about that girl and found someone so much better. I found Rose."

I rolled my eyes and turned my head at him talking about my sister.

He laughed, knowing exactly what I was doing. "You know, if you want I can introduce you to some people. I know a few girls who might help you forget all about the nemesis girl."

"Thanks, I think I might like that."

"You'll get over her, and you'll realize she wasn't worth all the trouble."

I didn't think it was possible to forget about her but I nodded my head in agreement.

"Come on," he suggested slapping me on the back. "I think Rose has some gifts she wants to pass out tonight."

I got up and followed him back into the house towards the living room where everyone else was already gathered. Rose was giggling and acting like a child. I watched as Emmett sat down next to her and kissed her on the cheek. Rose placed her hand on his knee and rubbed gently. They shared a knowing look like they had a secret language.

My parents passed out their traditional Christmas Eve gifts to everyone, Emmett included. The conversation as we opened gifts drifted back to Rose, like always.

My dad accidently let it slip about my sister's work when he suddenly asked about some deranged caller from the other night he wanted to know about. Everyone in the room froze when he finished.

My mom and I turned to Rose, while my dad tried to cover-up what he just slipped.

Rose and Emmett started laughing and shared that look again, leaving all of us confused.

"Don't worry about keeping anything from Emmett. He knows all about what I do and doesn't have a problem with it," Rose assured.

"What do you mean Emmett knows?" my mom asked. "I thought you didn't want anyone to know the truth."

"Emmett's different," she answered looking at Emmett with a goofy grin instead of at my mom who asked the question. She turned back to my mom after I saw Emmett give Rose a small, reassuring nod.

"I was planning to wait until tomorrow to give these to you, but I'll do it now," Rose explained pulling small envelopes out of her bag. She handed each of us one with a huge grin on her face. My parents ripped into theirs to find out what it was. I didn't need to. I could tell by the look on her face and the way she'd been acting all night what it was.

"So, when's the date?" I asked before my parents had a chance to comprehend what the paper inside said.

"You're getting married?" my mom shrieked excitedly. My mom and Rose met in the middle of the room to hug each other and squeal a little more. My dad walked around them and shook Emmett's hand to congratulate him. I just rested back on the couch and waited for Rose to finally get to my question.

"When did this happen?" my mom asked.

"He asked me about a month ago and I wanted to surprise everyone. It was hard, because I wanted to call you and tell you all about it but I didn't want to spoil the surprise," Rose explained.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you," my mom sighed. "We have so much planning to do."

"What do you think of the 'save the date' cards? Are they too much? This is just an example of what we were thinking about sending out."

"These are beautiful," my mom gushed. "Have you gone dress shopping yet?"

"Not yet. I wanted to wait until I could have you with me."

I was beginning to get sick of all the wedding talk.

"I'm going to bed," I announced standing to my feet. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you both."

The room got quiet when I left, but I didn't want to stick around anymore.

I went to bed and did my best to get some sleep.

The next morning was just a repeat of the day before. We ate, we opened presents, and we talked about the wedding. I just wanted to go back to the dorms and hide out away from people all together.

Around one in the afternoon I finally insisted I need to get back to work on some schoolwork.

I was upstairs packing when there was a knock on my door. I turned to see my sister walking in hesitantly.

"Are you okay, Edward?"

"I'm fine. I just have a lot of schoolwork to do and I need to get back."

"Emmett seems to think you have a girl on your mind. Mom even mentioned there was a girl back when you and dad had your argument but you haven't mentioned her since. Did something happen?"

"Why can't everyone just leave me alone? If there was a girl and I wanted someone to talk to I'd know who to go to. But I really don't want to talk about it so I wish everyone would stop asking me about this girl."

"Sorry, I was just trying to help."

"I don't need any help. I'm fine."

"Okay, I'll leave you alone then. Just remember to keep August twelfth open. That's when we're having the wedding and we're planning a destination wedding in Florida."

"Florida?" I asked chuckling at her ostentatious destination wedding. "I'll be there. Just tell me where to go and when."

"We'll give you the details as it gets closer. We still have a ton of planning to do, but we were thinking of going to Disney World and maybe even down to Miami. It'll be a week or two long trip."

"Sounds like fun," I said. I grabbed my bag off the bed, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out the door. I went down to the living room and told everyone goodbye. Emmett reminded me we could go out for a drink sometime and he could introduce me to some people. I nodded my head in understanding but I didn't think I'd take him up on the offer anytime soon.

I headed out on the road and got back to the dorm in record time. I actually didn't have anything to do I just didn't want to be home anymore.

The next six months were a blur. I got through my freshman year of college and started to feel like I could get through the rest with no problem. Now that I knew my way around and I was more comfortable with the area I felt like I could last a couple more years. I even talked my dad into letting me get an apartment near the college. It wasn't much but it was mine and somewhere I could be alone.

A week before Emmett and Rosalie's wedding we headed down to Florida. We went to Miami first and while there I hooked up with this girl. She had dark long hair and these bright blue eyes. Thinking back on it now, I don't even remember her name. She was just some local girl who thought I looked pretty good for a one night stand.

It wasn't bad, but Emmett knew. He didn't need to say anything. I could see it in his face and he looked disappointed. For some reason I liked Emmett. I respected him and cared about what he thought of me. However, I had needs and it's been a long time since I'd had sex. As much as I enjoyed the sex with Bella, she wasn't coming back. Even if she did she wasn't going to want me. I still had my doubts if she was even real at all.

After a couple wild nights in Miami we all headed up to Orlando to go to Disney World. This was also the place Rose was planning to get married. She wanted the full fairytale and Emmett was willing to give her everything she wanted.

After one day at Disney World, I decided I'd had enough of the fun and games. I rented a car and decided to go on a little road trip to see more of this state. I'd never been to Florida before so I figured I might as well do a little exploring.

Rose was nervous I wouldn't be back in time for the wedding, but I assured her I would. I figured I'd drive as far as I could in one day then stay at a hotel before heading back the next day. I'd be gone for two days and back in plenty of time for the wedding.

Right before I left, Emmett jumped in the car and said he needed a little bachelor time before he got married. I didn't refuse to let him come.

We headed out on the road and drove to Daytona Beach. We explored the Raceway and the city a little before stopping for lunch.

We really didn't talk much during the trip. But when we did it wasn't about anything important. We just talked about random crap that made no sense really.

When we hit Jacksonville, Emmett got the bright idea to try our hand at surfing. Neither of us had ever been surfing but there were plenty of people around who were willing to give lessons for the right price.

We found someone who didn't look much older than me and he went through the rundown of what we needed to do. He led us out on our rented boards into the middle of the ocean. Every time a wave would come through he would start yelling at us to start paddling. We did our best but neither of us was really able to get up on the board. It was more about the experience and laughing at each other for falling off.

"One last try," Emmett insisted. It was already pretty dark and I was done for the day. The ocean exhausted me and I was ready to find a hotel to pass out in.

I waited for our guide to start yelling at Emmett to start paddling. When he did, Emmett took off on his board and finally, after trying all day he got up on his feet and held on for a few second. I was clapping and cheering him on until suddenly he lost his balance and fell off. When he came up, his head was bleeding profusely and our guide kept insisting we get out of the water. I figured it had something to do with shark attacks or something. We paddled back to the beach and got him out of the water to see exactly what the damage was. He had a small gash on the side of his forehead which looked like it was going to need some stitches. Even our guide said I needed to get him to a hospital.

Emmett kept insisting he was fine and didn't need to go see a doctor. He worried if they gave him stitches and put a bandage on his head, Rose would be furious. Her wedding wouldn't be picture perfect.

I finally convinced him we had to see a doctor regardless. I think Rose would be more upset if he got an infection in the cut than if he had a couple stitches.

We pulled into the parking lot of a local hospital and walked inside. The nurse handed Emmett a clipboard of forms to fill out while we waited in the waiting room. My eyes wandered down the hall where I saw two men nearly punching each other outside of one of the rooms. They were shouting and one kept insisting he had a right to be in the room. Watching them was a little entertaining.

A few minutes later Emmett was called back to get checked out and when he came back he had a small line of stitches across his hairline along with a small bandage.

"Rose is going to kill me," he muttered.

I laughed. "No, she's going to kill me. I told her I'd take care of you."

"Well, hopefully in the morning it will look a little better and I can try to cover it up with my hair or something. Maybe Rose won't even notice."

I gave him a doubtful look making him laugh. We knew regardless of how well we covered it up she would find it and get upset.

Since it was late, we found a local hotel and went straight to bed.

"You know what was going on at the hospital tonight?" he asked suddenly.

"Well I saw those two guys fighting. It was pretty obvious they were fighting over a girl. I assume one was a baby-daddy and one was the new boyfriend."

"That's exactly what the nurse told me," he informed astonished by how I knew. "A woman came in to the hospital in labor. With her, she brought the baby-daddy as well as the new boyfriend and I guess these two guys were going at it fighting over who was going to be in the room. Then the older man showed up and broke them up fairly easy. The nurse said many of them were ready to call security because of the situation."

"Funny soap-opera story going on with that family," I laughed. "I feel sorry for the kid who has to grow up in that mess."

"Could you imagine?" he asked thinking about it even more.

We laughed and joked about the ridiculous family we saw at the hospital before we finally went to sleep.

The next morning, we got up late and headed back out on the road towards Orlando. We didn't get very far but we had quite the adventure with the surfing.

Rose was furious about the cut on Emmett's head, like we knew she would be. Thankfully, my dad was able to step in and do some doctor magic to make it as invisible as possible. When he was done it actually looked pretty good. You could still see it up close but from a distance it wasn't noticeable. As long as close-up pictures were from a certain angle he would be fine.

A day later my sister and Emmett were married on the grounds of Disney World. Rose even came in on the Cinderella carriage. I don't think I'd ever seen my sister so happy. I knew Emmett was the person for her and I liked Emmett. He was a good guy and actually fun to hang out with.

During the ceremony I think I even Emmett cried a little. I didn't understand why he was crying. Why would you cry on the day you're supposed to be the happy? Maybe he was crying because he was no longer single. Men did cry over that right?"

He looked rather happy when he kissed my sister though. Everyone cheered and clapped their hands then we followed them down the aisle and into the banquet room where there was this huge buffet.

The great thing about it being a private party is I was able to sneak alcohol. At the bar they didn't card the guests. Unless you were obviously under age you could get anything you wanted.

My parents were so busy talking to people and fussing over Rose they never noticed. I drank myself into oblivion and could barely stand up straight for pictures when we had to have family shots taken. I was able to hide it for a while but eventually Emmett grabbed my arm and pulled me out into the hall.

"Sit down," he ordered. Having no fight inside of me, I did as he said. "Just wait here and I'll go get my keys to take you back to the hotel. He left for a few minutes before coming back and helping me out to the rental car outside.

"I can't believe you got yourself drunk," Emmett chastised. "I can't believe they gave you alcohol."

"They don't card at private parties. It's actually not hard to get alcohol if you know how to do it. I was drinking when we were in Miami also."

"Do you drink a lot?" he wondered.

"Sometimes," I slurred.

Emmett sighed and shook his head like he was appalled by my behavior.

"You know when you told me I would get over her and I'd realize she wasn't worth all the trouble?" I asked. He nodded his head, looking back and forth between me and the road. "She is worth it. I just wish I knew where she was."

"Who is she?" he asked.

Being drunk, I didn't hold anything back. "Her name is Bella. She used to live in Forks and her husband was mean to her. She left him the night I left home. She almost ran me over and out of guilt she gave me a ride. We had the most amazing night and the next morning she was gone. All I have left of her is this note she left me."

"You're seriously caught up on a girl who you had a one night stand with, and was still married at the time of the affair?" Emmett asked, making it sound so much worse than it was. "You're going to end up like that family we saw at the hospital the other night. Is that really what you want? Most likely she went back to her husband, which is why she left so quickly and didn't wait around to explain herself. Don't get yourself mixed up with that. Believe me, Edward, she isn't worth it."

He pulled up in front of the hotel and helped me onto the elevator and down the hall to my room. I plopped on the bed and curled up in the blankets.

"I need to get back to the reception before Rose notices I'm gone. If you can, take a shower and take some Tylenol. You're going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning."

He left the room and I went to sleep.

He was right, in the morning I had the worst hangover. Every little sound made my head feel like it was going to explode. I had to drag myself out of bed to meet my family for brunch, before we bid Rose and Emmett goodbye for their honeymoon. It seemed strange to have a destination wedding in Florida only to turn around and go to Europe for a honeymoon. It seemed like Florida would have been their honeymoon. But, my sister is ostentatious. The flashier the wedding and whole experience the better.

After watching Emmett and Rose leave and packing my own stuff, I headed home with my parents and all the other guests who attended the wedding. It was good to be home. I slept for almost three days straight. Then I went on another drinking binge and slept for a few more days.

After I sobered up, I started to think about what Emmett said the night of the wedding. I couldn't remember everything but I remembered him saying she most likely went back to her husband. Was there a chance she's been in Forks all this time and I didn't know? I was so close to her. If I could find her maybe I could convince her to leave with me. I'd go wherever she wanted me to. I'd keep her safe. Being that it was summer, I had no school so I went home to my parents. I told them I needed a change for a while and wanted to hang out in Forks. In reality, I was going to search for Bella. I didn't know where to begin but it's a small town so it shouldn't be too hard.

I searched all summer. I even got a part-time job as a door to door salesman of vacuum cleaners in hopes I might find her house. I had to have gone to every house in the area. I even sat outside the local grocery store for hours hoping I might see her. I searched the phonebook hoping I might come across her name and at least have an address or a last name. There were a few Bella's and Isabella's listed in the phonebook but none of them ever matched who I was looking for. I became obsessed with trying to find her though. I needed to find her.

Even after school started again, I was still spending every weekend searching for her. I started broadening my search looking in the neighboring towns. Just because she lived in Forks at the time I met her didn't mean she still lived there.

The following summer, I took a job working for my dad in his clinic. He was ecstatic thinking I was finally coming around and wanting to be a doctor like him. I didn't. I just wanted access to files. If she lived here at any time my dad would have record of her doctor visits. It was fairly easy to snoop through the records. My dad was always so busy with patients he barely noticed me at all. I came across all the same Bella's and Isabella's as before. I was beginning to lose hope. I wasn't going to find her. I truly wondered if maybe I had just created her and she never did exist. It seemed strange to not find any clues of her existence in a town this small.

I did come across an Isabella Black in the files but she hadn't been seen by any doctor here for over two years. She couldn't be the Isabella I was searching for. However, I checked it out anyway. I went to the last known address and parked a distance away from the house.

After an hour or so of waiting I saw a tall man with dark hair and skin walk out of the house with some blonde girl on his arm. They were laughing and being playful while they walked out to the car. It wasn't her. This couple seemed happy. If it was my Bella who used to live here she didn't anymore.

I hit roadblock after roadblock which only made me want to continue searching for her. I even went as far as asking Rose if they keep track of their callers or their addresses. Bella did say she called Rose the night before she left. Unfortunately, Rose laughed at me and said they don't ever ask for phone numbers or addresses and most of the time people don't even use their real name when calling in. The callers are just as much a mystery as she is. Another roadblock.

The next summer I spent it back in Forks again. I kept waiting for some clue or anything. I became obsessed with finding her and proving to myself she did in fact exist.

I barely made it through school with all the energy I was focusing on finding her. For four years I searched and searched with never even a shred of evidence she existed. She wasn't anywhere near Forks and I knew that now. I had to seriously think about whether I wanted to keep searching or give up.

I graduated from college and was offered a job working for Emmett as an engineer. He had sort of promised me the job years ago but I never really paid attention. I always wondered in the back of my head if somehow Bella would come back into my life once I graduated, but she never did. It didn't stop me from searching the crowds of people at the graduation ceremony though. I kept waiting for her face to appear. I barely acknowledged my family while they congratulated me and hugged me. My dad was so proud and kept hinting around about me going to medical school but I told him I had no interest in being a doctor. I was going to work with Emmett. Even though it wasn't what he wanted for me he accepted it.

A few days after I graduated from college Emmett stopped by my apartment and found me in the endless search for Bella. I had files and papers strewed across my floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"The same thing I've been doing for the last three years. I'm trying to find the woman I met the night I ran away. I know you want me to start work right away but I think I want to take a few weeks for myself before I start. I'm going to search for her," I explained.

"You're obsessed," he pointed out the obvious. "What are you planning to do travel all across the country and knock on every door until you find her?"

"If I have to," I admitted. "I'm going to retrace our steps and hope maybe someone along the way remembers her. Right now my main goal is just to find out if she was real. I have this feeling I just created her in my head and she really never did exist at all. I just want to prove to myself I wasn't crazy."

"Well if you weren't crazy then, you are now. This is ridiculous, Edward. It's been four years since you saw her. You're still so obsessed with her you're going to extreme measures to search for her?" he asked.

"It's just difficult," I justified. "I searched in the small town of Forks for almost three years and never found a thing. She said she lived there her whole life and never got out. Shouldn't there be some record of her somewhere? I couldn't find a thing and I went to every Isabella and Bella listed in the phonebook. I even searched dad's files with nothing. Every Isabella there was wasn't the Isabella I was searching for. It's literally like she never existed and I have to find her. The more roadblocks I hit the more I want to keep searching."

"Did you ever stop to think maybe she didn't give you her real name?" he asked suddenly making my whole world crumble around me. "Edward, I know you want to find her but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. You aren't going to find her. She's gone and you need to let her go before you go mad."

I fell to the ground in defeat. I looked around my living room floor at all I'd done and realized he was right. I was never going to find her. Whether she existed or not there was no way I was ever going to find her. I had to let her go.

A single tear fell down my cheek and I quickly brushed it away before Emmett saw. I'm not supposed to cry over a girl. I'm not a wimp who let some mysterious woman consume my life.

After a few minutes, I started to pick up the papers and all the information I'd collected over the years and tossed it in the garbage can. Emmett was right. I had to let her go. If she wanted to be found I would have found her by now.

I started working for Emmett the next week and found I really enjoyed what I did. I shadowed him on most jobs. He even talked about someday being partners and branching the company out. I liked the idea of being partners.

I started hanging out with Emmett quite a bit even away from work. He introduced me to quite a few people and I started dating this girl named Heidi. She was gorgeous. I'm not sure what she saw in me, but I wasn't complaining. I liked having a beautiful girl on my arm and a warm body to sleep next to. Life was good.

At Christmas, she went to Forks with me and spent the holidays with my family. My parents loved her. They thought she was perfect for me. My mom even asked if I was going to need my great-grandmother's ring. I laughed at her and told her there was no chance of that. As much as I liked Heidi I couldn't see myself marrying her and spending the rest of my life with her.

The day before we were supposed to head back to Seattle I noticed there was a rattling noise coming from my car. We couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from so Emmett thought I should take it in to get looked at before I drove back to Seattle.

I drove across the small town and pulled into a local mechanic shop called Black's Auto Shop.

"Hi there, I'm Jacob Black. What can I do for you?" a man who looked so familiar asked when I climbed out of the car.

"Edward Cullen," I greeted shaking his greasy, rough hand. "There's a rattling noise coming from the engine. I need to drive back to Seattle in the morning and I just wanted to have it checked out to make sure it wasn't anything serious," I explained.

"Pop the hood and I'll have a look," he ordered. I did as he asked and watched what he was doing.

"It looks like you need you an oil change for one thing. When is the last time you had your car checked out?" he asked.

"Well, I guess it's been a while. Maybe a year or so," I answered. He rolled his eyes and huffs dramatically. I could hear him mumbling something under his breath while he looked at a few other things. I had a bad feeling about him. He sent off bad vibes and I didn't like him from the minute I saw him. However, this was the only mechanic shop in the town of Forks so I had no choice.

"Why don't you have a seat right over there and I'll see what I can do for you," he suggested. I got the impression he didn't want me around. I walked over to the chairs along the wall and sat down. I watched him from a distance for a while before my eyes wandered around his shop. There was a bulletin board hanging on one of the far walls which caught my attention. I walked over to it and looked at all the pictures of engines and proud people hanging over their fancy cars. I saw the man working on my car in quite a few of them. There was one picture covered up a little and when I pulled it out to see the whole thing I saw the woman who had eluded me for years standing next to the owner of this place with her arm wrapped around him, posing in front of the shop.

"Excuse me," I said trying to Jacob Black's attention. I walked over to him and held out the picture. "Do you know who this woman is?"

He gave me a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow. "What's it to you?" he asked angrily.

"She just looks very familiar. I think I've seen her somewhere before."

"I doubt it kid," he said. "That's my ex-wife. She hasn't been back here in almost five years."

"She's your ex-wife?" I asked with a shocked tone. This is the man who had made her life a living hell and made her leave. This was the man who caused my Bella so much pain and made her not think she could trust me enough to take care of her. The anger building inside of me was unbearable. I wanted to kill him right then and there. It took everything inside of me to keep it together to get a little more information from him.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"How should I know? That slut left me for another man and I haven't seen or heard from her in years. She ruined my life. She took everything I had."

My jaw clenched and my hands fisted at my side.

"Take some advice, Kid. Stay away from bitches like her. They're all the same. They use you for they need and then dump you when there done with you."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. My fist swung towards him and connected with his nose. The pain from the blow radiated through my hand but it was worth it.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouted, holding his nose to stop the bleeding.

"You're an asshole. I just decided I'll take my chances with the car. I don't want your help." I walked past him, shut the hood of my car and drove off taking the picture with me.

Once I got back to my parent's house I very carefully cut Jake out of the picture, leaving only Bella. Isabella Black. Suddenly all the memories of files started coming back to me and I remembered her. I remembered driving to Jacob's house and seeing him with a blonde girl figuring that was the Isabella Black from the medical file. I should have gone over and asked then. I was right there.

For weeks I stalked Jacob. Part of me still wanted to kill him but I was already worried of being charged with assault. I found it strange he never did press charges. I never heard from him again.

Suddenly, I was obsessed with finding her again. I had the small clue I was waiting so long to find and I felt so close now. Heidi noticed my strange behavior and decided it was time we took a break. I can't say I was upset to see her go. I know I should have been but I wasn't.

I searched databases all over the United States for an Isabella Black. There were hundreds of them. I didn't know where to begin. I started out calling anyone who had phone numbers listed and once again came to dead-end after dead-end.

I did my best to hide what I was doing from everyone. I knew if Emmett found out what I was doing again he'd be mad. I didn't want to jeopardize my job in any way.

After watching Jacob and doing some background checks on him, I discovered he had a dirty little secret. He was buying parts from a man who didn't look trustworthy. I got deeper and deeper into finding out who these people were and who Jacob Black was and found enough evidence and proof that he was buying parts illegally and using them but charging full price. Anonymously, I sent all the information I'd gathered to the police. I waited about a week and happened to be in the area when they busted him. In a way, I felt vindicated. I had done what Bella couldn't. I made sure there was no way he could ever hurt her again, wherever she might be.

More months, I made phone calls searching for Isabella Black. I even found out her maiden name was Swan from some local people in Forks. I called everyone who I found with that name but still there was nothing.

"Edward," Emmett called from his office. I was doing my best to stay focused on my job but I had a feeling Emmett was noticing my lack of motivation. I walked into his office and sat down in the chair across from his desk. "I need you to go down to Florida for a business trip."

"What for?"

"There's a client who wants to hire us for some work down there. If we get the job this might be the big break I've been waiting for to branch out the company."

"Then why don't you go?"

"Because I just got back from a long trip in New York and if I leave again Rose is going to be furious," he explained. "You can handle it, Edward. You know what you're doing and how to finesse people. I have total faith in your abilities." He may have, but I didn't.

The next morning, I packed my bag and headed to the airport. I was only planning to stay for three days. If I just stayed focused and did my job this should be a no-brainer. Emmett said the client was easy to get along with and there wasn't a lot we needed to do to seal the deal. This was just formalities.

After getting off the plane and checking into my hotel room, I went out to find something to eat. I was supposed to have a dinner meeting in less than an hour but I never ate much during dinner meeting because of nerves so I wanted to eat before I met with the client. I stopped at a fast food place and picked up a burger and fries with a chocolate shake. While sitting in my rental car and eating, I watched people walking by and guessed their lives. I was always pretty good at reading people.

While dipping one of my fries in my chocolate shake, I thought about how Bella did that the night we had dinner together. I thought it looked rather disgusting but once she made me try it I kind of got hooked. Or maybe it was just my delusional way of holding on to her.

I wasn't paying attention when suddenly some of the shake dripped off the French fry and landed on my shirt.

"Fuck!" I shouted out loud. I tried dabbing it with a napkin but it just smeared in even further. I didn't have time to go back to the hotel to change. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't walk into an important meeting with a big brown stain on my shirt.

I looked around the area and noticed a sign for a mall. I put my food away and drove down the road to the mall. I parked and ran inside to find a store that sold men's suits. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to find and the woman inside was very nice after I explained the situation. She quickly helped me find a new shirt and even let me leave the store with it on.

I thanked her profusely before running out of the store and towards the doors. I was already going to be cutting it close to make it to my meeting in time. I ran around a corner and bumped into someone. Not paying attention to whom it was I apologized just as she did. The voice that came from the person I ran into hit me to the core. There was a tingling feeling that ran up my spine and made my ears twitch. I stopped and looked down at who it was I ran into and saw the same woman I'd become obsessed with so long ago. The air in my lungs had disappeared. Even if I wanted to talk I couldn't. She was older now but still so beautiful. I wanted to touch her just to know she was real but I couldn't move. I stood there with my mouth hanging open and stared at her. Just as I thought I was about to crack a smile I heard a little kid shouting in the distance and Bella turn her head. I focused in on what she was looking at. I thought seeing her again was enough of a shock, but seeing myself as a child running towards her knocked the wind out of me. She was a mom and that little boy was my child. Was this the reason for the obsession? Did my subconscious know somehow she had my child and I needed to find her to find him?

All I remember was the other lady with him calling him EJ and then Edward Jasper Swan. She had given him my name. All this time I was a dad and I didn't even know it. How could she keep him from me all this time?

I leaned down next to him so I could get a better look and talk to him. His hair was the same color and same texture as mine. His little face was the same shape as mine. Even his smile was crooked like mine. The main thing I noticed was his eyes. They were the same shape and color green as mine were. It was like looking at myself twenty years ago.

"You're name's Edward?" I asked with a smile on my face. He nodded his head and smiled back. "My name's Edward too. It's a pretty cool name, huh?"

He glanced up at Bella for reassurance.

"What game did you get?" I asked. He held the game out in front of me and began telling me all about it. Hearing his little voice brought me to the verge of tears. This was my son.

"This character can jump so high, he can even jump on the clouds," he explained. "And this one shoots fire out of his mouth. He burns everything up. He's my favorite."

I glanced up at Bella and shook my head with frustration. How could she do this to me? She just ripped my heart out of my chest all over again.

The other woman who was with them took EJ away for some ice cream to give us a minute to talk. I rose to my feet and watched him walk away. The anger I felt for Bella was masked by the pride I felt at seeing my son and knowing I was a father. I'd never even thought about being a father. It wasn't something I ever planned on doing but in that moment all that mattered to me was that little boy. He was my world. He was my driving force for everything. There was no possible way I wasn't going to be a part of his life.

"I can explain," Bella said. My attention fell back on her. There wasn't anything to explain. I just wanted the truth.

"He's mine isn't he?"

**I know everyone is going to be upset where I left it off but I pulled an all-nighter to get this done and barely turned it in on-time. I still have an idea where I want to continue this so I'll probably add more later on.**

**One last end note, I entered the ****Showers to Flowers**** contest and I'd really appreciate if everyone read the entries and voted for your favorites, whether it's mine or one of the others. I'm very proud of the story I wrote for this contest. The link for it is on my profile. Thanks everyone. **


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